The Power of Wonder: The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live, Learn, and Lead

by Monica C. Parker

Wall Street Journal Bestseller

An eye-opening journey through the magical, yet surprisingly little-understood, human emotion that is wonder.

From the first tickle of curiosity to an unexpected shift in how we perceive the world, there isn't a person who hasn't felt wonder, and yet the why and how of this profoundly beneficial emotion is only just beginning to be scientifically defined and explored. This inspiring book from thought leader Monica Parker explores the power of wonder to transform the way we learn, develop new ideas, drive social change, and ultimately become better humans.
The Power of Wonder takes readers on a multidisciplinary journey through psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, literature, and business to share some of the surprising secrets behind the mechanics of wonder and guides readers in bringing more of it into their lives. Readers will learn about the components and elicitors of wonder, and how it can transform our bodies and brains. From taking a daily "awe walk" to discovering a new and all-consuming interest in something you'd never given much thought to before, this book shows readers how to become more wonder-prone and reconnect with a reverence for the world and all the fascinating people in it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Leadership, Audiobook, Personal Growth

400 pages, Hardcover

First published February 21, 2023

About the author

A world-renowned speaker, writer, and authority on the future of work, Monica Parker has spent decades helping people discover how to lead and live wonderfully.

The founder of global human analytics and change consultancy HATCH, whose clients include blue-chip companies such as LinkedIn, Google, Prudential, and LEGO, Parker challenges corporate systems to advocate for more meaningful work lives.

In addition to her extensive advocacy work, Parker has been an opera singer, a museum exhibition designer, a policy director, a Chamber of Commerce CEO, and a homicide investigator defending death row inmates.

A lover of the arts, literature, and Mexican food, Parker and her family split their time between Atlanta, London, and Nice. Her wonderbringers include travel, fellowship with friends, and Trey Anastasio’s guitar.

Reviews

[Maher Razouk · Rating 5 out of 5]

مارك توين قال ذات مرة بسخرية: "الإنسان هو الحيوان الوحيد الذي يحمّر خجلاً - أو يحتاج إلى ذلك."
العواطف جزء لا يتجزأ من التجربة الإنسانية. أتت من الكلمة اللاتينية "إموفيري" التي تعني "متحرك" ، فهي فطرية ومعقدة. أكد عالم الطبيعة تشارلز داروين في كتابه عام 1872 ، التعبير عن المشاعر في الإنسان والحيوان ، أن العواطف كانت سمة تكيفية للبقاء وأن تعبيرات المشاعر مشتركة عبر جميع الثقافات. في حين أن هناك استثناءات قليلة ، كان داروين محقًا. بالنسبة للجزء الأكبر ، يمكن للأشخاص من جميع أنحاء العالم التعرف على عدد لا بأس به من تعبيرات الوجه البشرية البالغ عددها حوالي سبعة آلاف.

تجعلنا العواطف بشرًا ، كما تفعل اللغة ، وهما مرتبطتان بعمق. يعتقد بعض الباحثين أن اللغة تطورت من التعبيرات العاطفية الحميمة المتبادلة بين الأم والطفل (ديناميكية تسمى الذاتية المشتركة). من المحتمل أن تكون الكلمات الأولى التي نطقناها هي للتعبير عن المشاعر ، وتطورت المشاعر واللغة معًا من رغبتنا الفطرية في التواصل والفهم. ومع ذلك ، على الرغم من أننا نحاول التعبير عن مشاعرنا لبعضنا البعض منذ زمن سحيق ، ما زلنا نكافح في كثير من الأحيان للعثور على مفردات مشتركة لمشاعرنا.

الكلمات الانفعالية مؤثرة ومتغيرة باستمرار ، وعلى الرغم من أن العديد من المشاعر عالمية ، فإن الكلمات نفسها سياقية للغاية ومتباينة ثقافيًا. تمامًا كما يُقال إن شعب الإنويت لديهم خمسون كلمة للثلج ، فإن لديهم أيضًا كلمات لا توجد ترجمة لها في أي لغة أخرى ، مثل iktsuarpok ، وتعني توقع انتظار شخص ما ، عندما تكون مليئًا بمثل هذا التوق ؛ أن تستمر في الخروج للتحقق من وصولهم. تمتلك بعض اللغات ، وبعض الأشخاص ، مفردات عاطفية أكثر ثراءً ودقة من غيرها. هذا الاختلاف في التفصيل العاطفي يعني أنه في حين أننا قد نستخدم نفس الكلمة العاطفية مثل أي شخص آخر ، إلا أنه لا يزال بإمكانه الحصول على تفسير مختلف للمعنى ، مما يضيف مزيدًا من التعقيد لمشاركة التجارب العاطفية بين بعضنا البعض.
.
Monica Parker
The Power Of Wonder
Translated By #Maher_Razouk

[Scott Lupo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a timely book for me personally in my current workplace. Our previous executive director who created Anythink Libraries and was with us for 15 years would have loved this book and had a training day based on it. We probably would have tried to get Monica Parker to speak for us. How awesome that would be! This book mirrors our philosophy of hospitality for others and for each other. It also dovetails nicely with emotional intelligence, curiosity, openness, DEI, FISH philosophy, and so many other initiatives. It's about being a human being and doing your best to live as one. It is not easy. Wonder and awe is a way of seeing life through a different lens, one that promotes openness, curiosity, humbleness, authenticity, graciousness, and love.

Besides work, this is an excellent book for everyone in their personal lives. I truly believe working on yourself, truly being self-reflective, is super important and makes for a better human being. Seeing the bigger picture and understanding yourself in that picture will make for a more fulfilling life. The power of wonder fits perfectly into this model of life. You only have one life, make the best of it.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plus 1 for exploring a new inspiring field. I enjoyed the free flowing nature of this essay, and while I would have liked more data to support the arguments it is a fairly new field so it was good enough to pull from writers and innovators in other fields.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So my word of the year was wonder, thus my reason for picking up this book. I do wish I had read it earlier in the year for that reason. Parker describes what wonder is, where we find it, and why it's important. She also explores other related emotions like awe and flow. Different chapters focus on religion, health, the workplace, learning, and psychedelics, among other topics. She also details the things we need to do to bring more wonder into our lives--the necessity of openness, curiosity, attention, daydreaming, and more. She also shares all the benefits physically, mentally, relationally of inviting more wonder into our experiences, backed by research. Wonder isn't found in our screens but when we allow ourselves to be more open to the world, new experiences, and other people.

[Moriah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wonder is about diving into the science behind how as humans feel inspired and have the ability to have a childlike curiosity about the world but how some of us suppress that feeling. Wonder is about tapping back into that curiosity because of the health benefits, inspiration, and overall wellness it can bring us. Wonder is a very well researched and backed up book, but unfortunately I wished there were more stories and ideas to inspire me. Great resource for the science behind our curiosity, I was just hoping for more of a wow to push me forward.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting with a pun: a wonder-full read! 🤪

Really enjoyed this cohesive, structured and well-researched nonfic on wonder (awe). Each chapter felt strongly supported with research and conversations with subject matter experts, with ounces of the author’s personality packed within that made it a fun albeit info-heavy read.

It covered so much base cross-pollinating wonder into different applications from history to health, anthropology, cults and even psychedelics. Wonder is definitely is an underlooked field that I hope gets more research and widespread practice.

5/5

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing concepts the book covers. I really got a lot out of this book and any book that makes you think is pretty awesome. However, it read like a textbook until the very end discussion on psychedelics (which was really eye-opening). Because of that, it was difficult to get through it and all my book club pals felt the same way.

[Jaume Sués Caula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading the book with low expectations, and finished it convinced it is a life changing lecture. It is filled with scientific facts combined with nice anecdotes.

[emmaline teska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely made me think about my day-to-day differently and I learned a TON from this book. However, the content, though written in an easy-to-digest way, is very academic and split into very different subjects throughout the book which made it hard to follow. Took me like a month to get through it.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rare is the book that improves my appreciation for the world around me and my attitude toward others. I will return to this one many times.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power of Wonder
The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live, Learn, and Lead

Monica C. Parker

2023 “Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and a vibrate culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition …

Dedicated to Julian, the wonder of love made manifest

Note: only illustrations are interspacing circles and photography on page 282 by David Nutt which portrays brain patterns as circles.

Pages 310—377 are bibliography pages. 307-310 are acknowledgements.

Wrap ups: Each section is concluded with a restating of main points discussed. (each segment is treated as if it’s a lecture)

F*cking used throughout (not sure whether reader is supposed to be upset by term being used or saying wow—she really can’t find a better term

Terminology throughout is using a more obscure or unusual term rather a typical one
Example: Knitting terms Pg 4 Wonder purls its way through our lives…
Pg 199 Wonder is one of the threads that can stitch teams together.
Pg 174 ”Wonder is a way to clear the piste and lay new tracks.”
Pg 213 … and yet there remained a lacuna of scientific study.

Throughout book she quotes, makes references to writers, intellectuals who refer to wander ie. Helen Keller and W.E.B. Dubois, William James in 1st chapter. Pfg 215 Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rachel Carson

She gives equal exposure to female scientist/researchers.

Footnotes throughout reveal personal, humorous comments from her life experiences
Pg 15 coke vs pepsi
or information about people/events she’s quoting/describing.


Pg 79 Dacher Keltner recognized as creator/definer of wonder movement. (Note I previously read his books and wanted to read this book to see the issue through a female’s point of view.)

Pg 8 wonder as noun, wonder as verb

Pg 73 all perception is contextual

Pg 81 stages of awe: 1st trigger
2nd vastness ( the wow moment --something grabs us make us feel small) and accommodation (the whoa moment when we try to understand and our view changes)

Pg 133 in discussing what makes awe accessible – Borrowing Tolstoy’s definition art is anything that communicates emotion.

Pg 173 critical of today’s educational system : when education systems seek to obviate wonder and ambiguity in exchange for standardization and rigidity this impacts our ability not only to learn but to unlearn as well.


Pg 245 Wonder has power to influence, shift perspectives and drive changes and while this power can have positive consequences, there exists the potential for it to be leveraged in negative ways (Jonestown)

Monica-Parker.com/wonderprone

[Paul Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Wonder is so integral to life. We gravitate to what we find interesting. And interesting is usually characterized by different and new, which are both aspects that bring wonder.

This book defines wonder and delves into the history. Both the history of things that have led to wonder and how we have perceived and experienced wonder. The book covers aspects that change in a person when they are in awe of something. People prone to feeling wonder tend to be more open. And after someone has experienced wonder, they are more open than they were just before.

The causes of wonder were quite interesting to me, from meditation and organized religion to being in natural spaces and psychedelics.

I liked the structure of the book. At the end of each chapter, there is a summary of the concepts covered. I listened to this book as an audiobook mainly during my commute so it was nice having the concepts reinforced.

This book made me think about what things cause me wonder, how to fill my own life with more wonder, and how to provide wonder for others.

[J. Kelly Hoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an extraordinary, eye-opening, deeply researched and gorgeous read. Monica magically weaves together stories (personal, heroic, universal), spirituality and science, in making the case for wonder (which, IMHO opinion she does, brilliantly). To add more of this extraordinary emotion to your life, read The Power of Wonder - it is truly a wonderbringer.

The Power of Wonder: The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live, Learn, and LeadMonica C. Parker

[Jente Ottenburghs · Rating 2 out of 5]

I came across a YouTube-video with the author (on the channel Big Think) and decided to read her book. That was a mistake. The first section of the book was still ok. She breaks down the experience of wonder into different phases and tries to identify the underlying processes in the brain. The second section looks at the benefits of wonder (e.g., for learning, at work and health). These chapters were often too long. The final section was the worst. Here, the author regularly deviates from the science into a world of woo and new-age BS. At some point, she misquotes three scientists (Einstein, Darwin and Sagan) to show that science and religion are compatible (they are not). Personally, this book was a good reminder to stay away from popsci/self-help books and focus on actual science books. That is where I find wonder.

[Bassaidai88 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I liked this book. It is an interesting topic that is of gigantic proportions both historically and metaphysically. So kudos to the author for covering such a wide base with facts and citations. But by covering so much, I kinda got lost a bit in the middle on topics that weren't of much relevance to me. Of timely value though is the authors discussion on cult leaders lies and promises to keep the faithful under their control (page 248). Also, the discussion about inmates on death row and solitary confinement was interesting. The upshot of the book is to find wonder in the smallest of things and your life will be better for it.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t for the typical self-help reader. It’s a sophisticated and studied review of wonder, far removed from the syrupy self-help genre. I brought it with me on vacation and realized I was reading slower than expected - not flying through as I usually do. It’s because I found myself putting the book down every 20 or 30 minutes and just… thinking. When was the last time you read a book that really made you think? Well written, well referenced, and well considered. Would make a great gift for those thinkers in your life.

[Molly Polly · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Christmas I was given a pile of books about awe and wonder which has been fun to read. Of the four, this was my fave. There were one or two chapters I wondered (haha) if they needed to be there but since I finished the book I simply can’t stop thinking about it, so that is always the sign to me that it’s a winner. That’s why we read, right? To change how we think. And this book really made me think.

[Pavel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opened my eyes. Many books about emotions seem trying to convince you to sell you something. This I felt I was learning so much that the book didn't need to sell the ideas because the evidence was clear. I wish it was available in Polish to share with my mother, but I enjoy reading it in English.

[Anil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially it was interesting, but soon I started to wander out...

[Jac Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting start and middle, but last section was long and tedious

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyable and well researched from what I could surmise. It was full of hope and whimsey, as well as hard info on how to increase wonder in your life. Wonderful, really.

[Beth Bonness · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first heard Monica describe wonder, it was in the Big Think article, "Give up on happiness. Go hard on wonder." Her ideas struck a chord when she described "toxic positivity." Now, with reading her book, The Power of Wonder, I'm getting a deep dive into her work and practical advice. Loved her description of researching where you're either a "lumper or splitter." Hadn't heard that before and definitely am in the camp of "the total is greater than the sum of the parts" when taking in experiences. Not that you don't look at the pieces, but if you only look at the pieces you can miss so much.

Plus when I read - 1 in 4 women are on anti-depressants & 90% of doctor visits in the US are stress-related... that caused me to pause. I'm not, but so many people I know share that they are or have been. Monica really pulled me in with —“Wonder makes us less stressed and feel like we have more time" - who wouldn't want to pursue based on that alone?

Back to that "toxic positivity" - with two young granddaughters under four I’d love to be able to shift my tendency toward "toxic positivity" to one of wonder and embrace “the beautiful, messy complexity of life and the way happiness doesn’t." Certainly will spend more time allowing the full range of emotions with family and friends, and resist the urge to so quickly move past them as if they'r not worth absorbing.

Thank you Monica for your insights and practical advice,

Beth

[Ko Matsuo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt like drinking from a firehose. An introduction to the science of wonder. Fascinating consolidation of many ideas that culminate in how wonder can lead to creativity, empathy, resilience and connection.

[Jack Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Changed my perspective on which emotions to pursue in life