#79 Awe Is Contagious: The Science of Wonder with Deborah Farmer Kris

In this episode of Make It Mindful, Seth Fleischauer talks with child development expert and author Deborah Farmer Kris about awe — what it is, why it matters, and why it might be the missing piece at the center of meaningful education. What begins as a conversation about a single emotion opens up into something much bigger: a research-backed framework for understanding how wonder drives curiosity, curiosity drives intrinsic motivation, and motivation unlocks the kind of deep learning that tests can't easily measure. Along the way, Seth reflects on how awe has been quietly powering his own work at Banyan Global Learning all along — he just didn't have a word for it until now.Together, Seth and Deborah explore the neuroscience of wonder, the contagious nature of teacher enthusiasm, and what it means to make your classroom an oasis of awe — even inside a system that doesn't always make space for it.Key Topics Discussed:What awe actually is — and how researchers know when someone is feeling it (hint: it's not just the Grand Canyon)The difference between awe and curiosity, and why they're more intertwined than most educators realizeThe research-backed chain from awe → curiosity → intrinsic motivation → deeper learningHow awe primes the brain for memory — and why starting with wonder, not ending with it, changes everythingCollective effervescence and neurosynchronicity: why learning together in a state of shared wonder produces measurably better outcomesWhy teacher awe is contagious — and what that means for how we think about subject mastery and classroom cultureThe "small self" effect: how awe quiets cognitive chatter, restores perspective, and makes us more likely to help a strangerWhy human kindness and bravery — not nature — turn out to be the most common source of awe across culturesThe tension between awe and the structures of schooling: mystery vs. certainty, slow attention vs. coverage, wonder vs. testingWhy Montessori education may be quietly ahead of the curve as AI reshapes what schools need to doA real conversation about teenagers, art museums, and whether you can — or should — engineer awe for your kidsGuest Bio:Deborah Farmer Kris is a child development expert, educator, and author whose work explores the intersection of social-emotional learning, positive psychology, and how children grow. She writes regularly for PBS Kids and NPR's MindShift, and her Substack, Raising Awe-Seekers, brings the latest research on wonder and well-being directly to parents and educators. Her book on the science of awe and childhood is available now.Host Bio:Seth Fleischauer is the founder of Banyan Global Learning and host of the Make It Mindful podcast. His work focuses on global learning, cultural competency, and the evolving role of technology in education. Through Banyan Global Learning, he develops live virtual learning experiences that connect students to people, places, and ideas around the world.Episode Links:Deborah Farmer Kris's website and resources: parenthood365.comRaising Awe-Seekers Substack: raisingaweseekers.substack.comDacher Keltner's awe research at UC Berkeley: https://greatergood.berkeley.eduEthan Cross, Author of Chatter and Shift: https://www.ethankross.com/Mary Oliver, "The Summer Day"The Good Whale podcast (New York Times)The Overstory by Richard Powers