Dacher Keltner: Harnessing Awe to Beat Stress and Transform Your Life

In this mind-opening episode of The Diary of a CEO, we sit down with Dacher Keltner—a professor at UC Berkeley, the man behind the Greater Good Science Center, and someone who’s spent decades diving deep into the fascinating world of human emotions. Keltner’s research focuses on all the big ones: compassion, love, awe, power, and... well, the messy stuff we don't always talk about. He’s also the author of The Power Paradox—which, let’s be real, is a whole book you’ll want to devour if you’re even a little bit curious about how power plays into our lives.

So, what does awe have to do with all this? Apparently, quite a lot. Keltner makes the case that awe—a feeling we all know when we witness something bigger than ourselves—can actually lower stress (yes, stress!) and even spark creativity. He talks about how we can deliberately invite awe into our daily routines. Maybe you’re walking outside, or—strangely enough—admiring your favorite coffee mug in the morning. Trust me, you’ll never look at that mug the same way again. It’s all about shifting perspective, right?

But here’s the twist—Keltner doesn’t shy away from tough truths. One of the most shocking points he brings up is about wealth, power, and empathy. The higher you rise on the social ladder, the more disconnected you can become from the people around you. In a sense, the more power we gain, the less compassionate we feel for those who don’t have it. It’s a slippery slope, and we’re all living it.

And then there’s the human connection piece—the “touch” part that’s almost hard to talk about without getting emotional. Keltner insists that a lack of physical connection is not just an inconvenience, it’s a killer. Literally. We need to touch, hug, hold hands, and all the small ways we connect with others, or our life expectancy and happiness levels drop. It sounds like common sense, but in today’s world? It’s easy to forget.

So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the world, stressed, or just plain stuck—Keltner’s approach could help. He offers simple but profound ways to rethink your life. Tap into awe, embrace connection, and try to let go of the unnecessary pressures we put on ourselves. It might sound too simple, but that’s the magic. Ready to change the way you think about stress and happiness?

Catch the full interview on The Diary of a CEO’s YouTube channel here and find out how awe can literally transform your life.