More convincing than the science... are the case studies Keltner uses to argue that it is awe, more than any other emotion, that makes us truly happy ... What Keltner fails to acknowledge is that bringing people together is not always a good thing. In fact it can be sinister ... His otherwise fascinating and enjoyable book would have been strengthened by directly confronting the dark side of awe.
It is no easy task to reconcile scientific research with the messiness and ambiguity of the stories that we tell about ourselves and our emotions. The sciences and the humanities are sometimes compared to an estranged couple, and Keltner nobly seeks to address both parties ... Yet the two can never quite converse in this book. Presented in rapid succession, Keltner’s stories and cultural references can seem mere instruments to buttress his taxonomic system; rarely does he stay with his characters and explore how awe has played out in their lives ... It makes for an interesting, if disorientating, reading experience, and one that speaks to our own age.
It is enlightening to follow Mr. Keltner’s arguments and uplifting to read the awe-filled tales he tells. He is aware, however, that we need something more than a physiological means of understanding awe. We need a conceptual definition. And he offers one ... The difficulty is that this definition fails to match many of the stories Mr. Keltner documents ... Three words—“good,” “true” and “beautiful”—braid together, in different combinations, throughout his book. For music or visual art to inspire awe, Mr. Keltner’s discussion implies, it must be more than simply beautiful.
