How Spirituality Increases Happiness and Productivity, don’t let wonder be a blind spot.

Most of us are fairly comfortable with holding on to the expectation that the work we do somehow contributes to our life-long search for meaning. Furthermore, a central piece of the meaning puzzle is the value we place in the interpersonal connections that emerge from our cooperative partnerships, be they in our personal or professional lives.

But equally important to building trusting relationships in meaningful work is the occasional experience of awe-inducing wonder.  Researchers identify that Wonder is a fleeting experience of the world that lets us concretely know how little we know. It is an indicator that our mental frames have been broken by the new content we are trying to insert. Wonder comes from the recognition that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Recent research has come to a somewhat unsurprising conclusion: that the feeling of wonder directs our attention to those “big-picture” entities in life. It encourages us to think more about the collective dimensions of our identity, and less about the significance we tend to attach to personal concerns and goals. 

A spiritual sense leads to the motivation to fix things. It is hopeful, suggests discontent with the status, and encourages resiliency.

– Wonder is a fleeting experience of the world that lets us concretely know how little we know.

– The feeling of wonder directs our attention to the “big-picture” entities in life.

– This type of spiritual sense leads to the motivation to fix things.

– While not without risk, a spiritual sense can make our post-pandemic work lives a renaissance, and not a return to the grind.

David Weitzner Ph.D.

Managing with Meaning.