Forget God: How Awe and Spirituality Without Religion Transform Mental Health
Why Are People Choosing Meaning Without Religion Today?
A sunset can feel holy without hymns, and more people are stepping away from traditional religion while still craving that sense of meaning and connection.
In the U.S., about 29% of adults now identify as religiously unaffiliated, according to the Pew Research Center (2021). That doesn’t mean they’ve abandoned spirituality. It means they’re building new ways to experience wonder. Call it modern spirituality, spirituality without religion, or simply paying attention.
A friend of mine once told me the most spiritual moment of her life happened at a Beyoncé concert. She was in a sea of 60,000 strangers, all screaming the same lyrics, goosebumps crawling down her arms. No deity required. Just a reminder of what it feels like to belong.
You don’t need a belief system to experience transcendence. You just need to notice.
What Mental Health Benefits Come From Modern Spirituality?
Research shows awe is ridiculously good for your brain. Psychologists Dacher Keltner and Jonathan Haidt (2003) described awe as a unique emotion that expands our sense of time and self. Later studies confirmed it reduces stress, increases generosity, and improves overall life satisfaction. Think of awe as a mental reset button.
A 2015 study in Emotion found that people who regularly experience awe, whether through nature, music, or art, report lower levels of inflammation in the body. Literal biological healing just from paying attention to beauty. That’s not divine intervention. That’s your nervous system exhaling.
I’ve felt this myself. My own moment came on psychedelics in the desert. I was flat on my back, watching the stars shift in impossible patterns, feeling both tiny and infinite. No voice from the sky, no burning bush. Just neurons lighting up like fireworks and a sudden clarity that life is both absurd and breathtaking. The research helps explain it, but the lived moment sealed it.
Modern spirituality boosts mental health because awe interrupts the hamster wheel of worry.
How Do Everyday Moments Become Spiritual Practices?
If awe restores the mind, daily practices are how we keep that renewal alive.
Spiritual practices don’t have to involve chanting or incense. Honestly, you can turn washing the dishes into mindfulness if you do it with intention. Modern spirituality isn’t about elaborate rituals. It’s about making small, ordinary moments sacred.
Neuroscience supports this. Research on mindfulness shows that simple, consistent practices, like paying attention to your breath for five minutes, can rewire brain regions linked to emotion regulation (Hölzel et al., 2011). You don’t need to buy crystals or memorize Sanskrit. You just need to pause. This is where science and daily life meet, showing how practical awe can be.
Take my neighbor, who swears his morning run is his version of church. He leaves his phone at home, listens to the sound of his feet hitting the pavement, and returns more centered than after any sermon he’s ever heard. For him, sneakers are the altar and endorphins are the prayer.
Spiritual practices don’t need religion. They need repetition and intention.
What Connects Us Without Religion?
One of the biggest myths about leaving religion is that you’ll end up isolated. But humans are social creatures. We invent connection anywhere. From group fitness classes to online forums, we’re constantly creating new rituals of belonging.
When we gather for birthdays, concerts, or even Sunday brunch, we’re tapping into the same psychological circuits that ancient ceremonies used. It’s not about God. It’s about community. Research shows what many already feel: we thrive when we belong.
I once joined a local astronomy club just to see Saturn through a telescope. The moment the planet came into focus, the group gasped together. Total strangers, unified by a tiny glowing ring 900 million miles away. That was church enough for me.
Connection doesn’t require a creed. It requires showing up with others who care.
So, Do You Really Need God To Feel Awe?
If by God you mean a supernatural overseer, no. What you need is the willingness to be surprised. Awe lives in sunsets, in physics equations, in music that makes your spine tingle. It lives in the laugh of someone you love. It lives in the absurd fact that we exist at all.
Atheist or believer, everyone has access to these moments. They’re the universal human inheritance. If you want more meaning without religion, the path is simple: cultivate practices that make you present, seek out experiences that move you, and share them with others.
The sacred isn’t owned by any tradition. It’s waiting for you in the ordinary.
How You Can Practice Awe
Tonight, try one tiny spiritual practice without religion. Journal about something that gave you goosebumps. Step outside and breathe in the night air like it’s holy. Light a candle at dinner just to honor being alive. Or share a moment of awe with someone close to you. Small, ordinary acts like these keep the experience of awe alive and remind you that wonder is never far away.
You can learn more and connect with me through my profile on Psychology Today.
Further Reading
Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek reminds us that the natural world can knock us flat with wonder. Sam Harris’s Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion is a clear-eyed defense of mindfulness for skeptics. Dacher Keltner’s Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life blends science and storytelling, showing how awe shapes health and relationships.
