LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – As you know Lake Tahoe has long been known for its beauty. In Beyond Awestruck: The Scientific Search for Connection, a three-part docuseries, it becomes something else: a living laboratory where people experience moments of awe and the resulting impacts. In an era of doomscrolling, a loneliness epidemic and political division, a search for what connects people was conducted.
Filmed as real-world research unfolded, it follows unprecedented science-based fieldwork from summer 2025 led by Paul Piff, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine. Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America served as the laboratory with a natural setting where awe occurs organically. The lake, forests, mountain landscapes and expansive vistas consistently evoke powerful emotional responses in visitors and locals, making it an ideal location to study how nature influences human emotion and connection.
Its landscapes were the locations for seven field studies involving more than 1,000 participants. Participants took part in hikes, kayaking, and visits to scenic as researchers observed how moments of wonder naturally unfolded – and how they influenced emotional well-being, social connection and perspective.
In some cases, shifts occurred quickly. Preliminary research showed that after just two minutes spent engaging with Lake Tahoe’s landscapes, participants reported up to a 70 percent increase in feelings of awe and a 33 percent increase in happiness during the experience. While most destination-driven content focuses on where to go, Beyond Awestruck examines what happens to people when then get there. The result is both observational documentary and live scientific inquiry.
Beyond Awestruck is as a three-part series that can be found at ttps://visitlaketahoe.com/beyond-awestruck.