Noom Names Dacher Keltner Advisor on Awe Research
The wellness company will work with the Berkeley psychologist to turn awe science into everyday practices.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Wellness
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Noom has named Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, as an advisor. The company said Keltner will help translate awe research into repeatable practices across its product, content, research, and coaching teams.
Why it matters
Research suggests experiences of awe can reduce daily distress, strengthen social connection, and support emotional wellbeing, making the partnership a bid to bring that science into routine wellness habits for U.S. consumers.
Noom reports more than 350,000 Mindful Art Break members, with about half returning weekly, and 72% of surveyed users say they feel more focused afterward, though these figures are company-reported. A randomized study of 60 older adults using weekly 15-minute awe walks over eight weeks is cited as supporting research, but the extraction does not report how these results would apply to the broader U.S. population.
The players
Dacher Keltner
Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and founding director of the Greater Good Science Center, and he coauthored a 2023 scientific review on awe.
Noom
Noom is a Princeton, New Jersey-based health and wellness company with offices in New York City that offers behavior-change programs and digital coaching.
The details
Keltner will help Noom translate awe research into repeatable practices and will work with the company's product, content, research, and coaching teams. Noom's Mindful Art Break, launched in October 2025, offers a two-minute experience, and the company is planning its inaugural National Awe Day for May 18, 2027, inviting participants to take a 15-minute Awe Walk.
Timeline
October 2025: Noom launches its Mindful Art Break.
November 8, 2026: Keltner delivers a talk titled "The Science of Awe: Finding Wonder in Everyday Life" at the Eudēmonia Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida.
May 18, 2027: Noom plans its first National Awe Day.
Big Picture
Keltner's work through the Greater Good Science Center has helped push awe research from academic journals toward public wellbeing practice. Noom's move extends that research into a consumer behavior-change platform that reaches hundreds of thousands of users.
Readers interested in low-cost wellness habits can try the recommended 15-minute Awe Walk, which the research describes as a weekly practice in the eight-week study. The Mindful Art Break is a two-minute experience available to Noom users, offering a short option for a daily or weekly break.
The takeaway
A short, regular practice of noticing awe, such as a 15-minute walk, may be an accessible way to add emotional wellbeing habits to a daily routine. Readers can try the approach themselves before committing to any program.
What happens next
Keltner is scheduled to speak at the Eudēmonia Summit on November 8, 2026, and Noom plans its inaugural National Awe Day on May 18, 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on Wellness for related context on mental and emotional health practices.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Manila times.
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