Wonder — A Field Guide to Seeing the World With New Eyes

Wonder: A Field Guide to Seeing the World With New Eyes

Children have it by default. Most adults have to go looking. The good news is that it is still there.

Wonder is curiosity with the ego removed. This guide asks where it goes as we get older, why familiarity is its main enemy, how it differs from awe, and how to recover the ability to look at an ordinary street — or an ordinary life — as though seeing it for the first time.

Inside this book

• Why wonder is curiosity with the ego removed
• Where it goes as we get older, and why familiarity is its main enemy
• How wonder differs from awe, and why you need both
• Recovering the ability to look at an ordinary street as though seeing it for the first time

Part of Field Guide to Feelings — short, unhurried books that each take one emotion seriously. No jargon, no five-step systems. Every book stands entirely on its own.

A note: this is a work of reflection and personal exploration, offered for general interest. It is not therapy, and it is not a substitute for professional support. If a feeling is overwhelming or persistent, please talk to a qualified professional.

Browse the whole series in Emotions & Feelings, see more in Personal Growth, or explore the full Arb Digital Library.

If you have been wondering what is wonder, this short guide is written for exactly that question.

For further background from an independent source, see the American Psychological Association.

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