Standing at the edge of something vast can stretch time, soften the ego, and lift your mood.
A sublime experience is a moment that takes you a step beyond your ordinary, everyday world and leaves you feeling connected to something larger. Psychologists usually call the feeling awe, and research suggests it can change how you see time, yourself, and other people.
Robert Greene is writing a book on the sublime, and he explained his view on the Huberman Lab podcast. Here’s what he means, what the science says, and how to invite more awe into your life.
What is the sublime?
The sublime is what lies just outside the circle of everyday life, at the threshold of something much bigger than you. Greene uses a picture: every culture draws a circle of accepted thoughts and behavior, and the sublime sits on the edge of that circle, like standing at an open door.
The word itself comes from “on the threshold of.” The strongest example Greene gives is a near-death experience, when you stand at the doorway of mortality. Other doorways include a vast night sky, the birth of a child, or the sudden thought that you are alive at all.
Greene argues that humans are wired for these moments because we’re the only animals fully aware we will die. Without a way to feel part of something larger, ordinary life can feel narrow.
What does psychology call this? Awe.
Awe is the emotion we feel when we encounter something vast that changes how we understand the world. In their 2003 paper “Approaching awe, a moral, spiritual, and aesthetic emotion” in Cognition and Emotion, Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt described awe as a response to vastness that stretches our usual mental frames.
Abraham Maslow wrote about something similar, which he called a “peak experience,” a rare moment of deep meaning that people often remember for life. Greene uses that term too.
What are the 3 real ways awe changes your mind?
Research links awe to 3 effects: time feels more spacious, you feel smaller in a healthy way and kinder to others, and your well-being rises. Here’s each one with its source.
| Effect | What researchers found | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Time feels longer | Awe made people feel they had more time and be more willing to spend it on others | Rudd, Vohs, and Aaker, 2012 |
| The “small self” | Awe made people feel smaller and act more generously | Piff and colleagues, 2015 |
| Higher well-being | Awe boosted life satisfaction in the short term | Rudd, Vohs, and Aaker, 2012 |
1. Time feels more spacious
Awe can make you feel you have more time. In the 2012 paper “Awe Expands People’s Perception of Time, Alters Decision Making, and Enhances Well-Being” in Psychological Science, Melanie Rudd, Kathleen Vohs, and Jennifer Aaker reported that awe shifted how people perceived time and decisions.
2. You feel smaller, and kinder
Awe can shrink the ego in a healthy way. Paul Piff and colleagues, in “Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior” in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2015), found that awe made people feel like a smaller part of something bigger, and that went along with more generous behavior.
3. Your mood lifts
Awe can give your well-being a short-term lift. The same Rudd team found that awe was linked with higher life satisfaction in the moment. The research is mostly about short effects, so think of awe as a regular practice, not a one-time cure.
How is real awe different from a cheap thrill?
Real awe comes from your own experience of something vast, while cheap thrills come from outside and fade fast. Greene calls the second kind the “false sublime.”
He lists drugs, alcohol, shopping, online rage, and joining a cause just to vent aggression. They calm you down for a moment, but you may need more each time. For a longer look at this, see our guide on real versus false highs.
How can you invite more awe into your week?
You can invite more awe by regularly putting yourself near something vast: nature, art, big ideas, or other people’s courage. Here are 5 simple ways.
- Look up. Spend 10 minutes under a night sky or watching clouds move.
- Walk somewhere old. A big tree, a stone building, or a quiet shoreline.
- Study something enormous. Early human history, the age of the universe, or how a single cell works.
- Listen to music all the way through. No phone, eyes closed.
- Remember your own story. Greene says even your own childhood can feel sublime when you look back at it closely.
Awe also fits naturally with gratitude and abundance, since both widen your view of what’s already here.
Frequently asked questions
What is a sublime experience?
It’s a moment at the threshold of something much larger than daily life, such as a vast sky or a brush with mortality, that leaves you feeling connected to something bigger.
What is the difference between awe and the sublime?
Awe is the emotion psychologists study. The sublime is the older philosophical word for the kind of experience that usually triggers it.
Can awe change how you perceive time?
Yes. A 2012 study in Psychological Science by Rudd, Vohs, and Aaker found that awe changed how people perceived time and made decisions.
What is a peak experience?
It’s Abraham Maslow’s term for a rare moment of deep meaning and joy that people often remember for the rest of their lives.
How often should I seek out awe?
Research mostly measures short-term effects, so a small regular practice, such as 10 minutes outside under the sky each week, is a sensible way to keep benefiting.
Look up tonight. The sky is free, and it has plenty to tell you. The universe keeps sending you signs. Get one in your inbox every morning → For more on living with wonder, read our guide on how to manifest.