UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Dacher Keltner, distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, will present a lecture to the Penn State community titled “The Need to Imagine: How Humans Transcend Reality Through Compassion, Awe, and Aesthetics” at 4 p.m. April 3. The lecture will be livestreamed to the public via Zoom, and people wishing to attend can register online. 

 Keltner’s research focuses on the biological and evolutionary origins of compassion, awe, love, beauty, power, social class and inequality. He is the founding director of the Greater Good Science Center, whose mission is to make “the science of a meaningful life” accessible to the public. 

Keltner’s lecture will discuss the emerging science of awe and compassion and how these states are important to health and well-being.  

“In this talk, I will present an argument for how humans have evolved defining capacities to transcend self-interest, and orient, as Jane Goodall said, to that which is amazing outside of the self,” Keltner said. “I will chart the new science and practice of compassion and awe, and how these transcendent states are vital to the health and well-being of individuals, communities and cultures.”  

Furthermore, Keltner will discuss how experiencing awe can lead to cultural experiences that impact well-being. 

“Arising out of these experiences, I will suggest, are cultural experiences of self-transcendence — in ethical principle, artistic expression and contemplative practice — that further contribute to well-being,” Keltner said. 

Robert Roeser, Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and Compassion at Penn State and the lecture organizer, describes Keltner as one of the “foremost scientists of emotion.” Keltner studies both the evolutionary and cultural bases of emotions that go hand-in-hand with flourishing. Roeser said he hopes lecture attendees will deepen their appreciation regarding how such “epistemic emotions,” or emotions associated with experiencing the world around us, are a critical part of flourishing in life.  

“Such emotions, and the natural, aesthetic, and intellectual events that can evoke them, are essential to a life of joy and meaning,” Roeser said. “As Dr. Keltner’s work illustrates, taking time in our busy lives to engage in activities that reconnect us to these emotions that were so salient in childhood life is one kind of ‘royal road to flourishing’ that we can cultivate as adults.” 

Roeser said that Keltner’s work is different because he focuses on how emotions can help people grow instead of how emotions can cause distress. 

“Dr. Keltner’s work is unique in that he has been interested not just in how emotions can plague us and cause distress, but how they can open us up to new perspectives, ways of being, and forms of flourishing,” Roeser said. 

A best-selling author, Keltner will discuss his most recent book, titled “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.” His other books include “The Power Paradox” and “Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life.”  

In addition to writing and teaching, Keltner hosts the Greater Good Center’s award-winning podcast, “The Science of Happiness.” His podcast was ranked as a top health podcast by Apple Podcasts and as a top 10 wellness podcast by Oprah Magazine. Additionally, Keltner served as a scientific consultant for the Pixar film “Inside Out,” where he would answer the director's science-related questions. 

Keltner has received several national research and teaching awards and has published more than 190 scientific articles. He is the co-author of two textbooks and the co-editor of “The Gratitude Project: How the Science of Thankfulness Can Rewire Our Brains for Resilience, Optimism, and the Greater Good.” Keltner also has pieces published in places like the New York Times Magazine and London Times, and his research has been covered by CNN, NPR and BBC.  

This lecture is the eighth annual Lecture on Compassion, hosted by the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center (PRC) at Penn State. It is an annual forum through which outstanding researchers and practitioners can share their findings and perspectives in the areas of awareness, compassion and empathy. The lectureship was developed and funded by Mark Greenberg, the PRC’s founding director, and Christa Turksma, a curriculum developer and teacher of mindfulness skills.  

For more information on the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, visit prevention.psu.edu.