The Shape of Meaning: Awe and Autistic Wellbeing
Conversations about happiness and wellbeing often focus on positive feelings and measurable outcomes, which can overlook how meaning is actually experienced across neurodivergent lives. This talk explores awe as a powerful emotion that reshapes attention, time perception, and meaning—not just mood. Building on my research on awe as a UC Berkeley Haas Scholar, conducted under the mentorship of Dacher Keltner, the session weaves together theory, empirical insights, and lived experience to examine how awe is accessed and organized in autistic lives. Rather than being absent or diminished, awe often emerges through conceptual depth, sensory patterns, and engagement with systems rather than social spectacle. The talk concludes by reflecting on what a more inclusive, meaning-centered approach to happiness might look like.
Conversations about happiness and wellbeing often focus on positive feelings and measurable outcomes, which can overlook how meaning is actually experienced across neurodivergent lives. This talk explores awe as a powerful emotion that reshapes attention, time perception, and meaning—not just mood. Building on my research on awe as a UC Berkeley Haas Scholar, conducted under the mentorship of Dacher Keltner, the session weaves together theory, empirical insights, and lived experience to examine how awe is accessed and organized in autistic lives. Rather than being absent or diminished, awe often emerges through conceptual depth, sensory patterns, and engagement with systems rather than social spectacle. The talk concludes by reflecting on what a more inclusive, meaning-centered approach to happiness might look like.
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