Awe: What’s good about a ‘little earthquake’ in your brain? 

Awe: What’s good about a ‘little earthquake’ in your brain? 

Where do you go, or what do you do, to arouse the emotion of awe? It’s an emotion that scientifically has been shown to enhance memory and creativity, as well as inspiring us to act more altruistically to people around us. When we’re awestruck by the mightiness of the ocean, for example, or by the sound of a powerfully affecting voice (think Elvis or Maria Callas), we’re more likely to feel that we’re in the presence of something greater than ourselves. And this can be incredibly helpful for our mental health, because it helps us to reset our perspectives.

As professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, Ethan Kross, notes in a recent article* ‘when you are in the presence of something vast and indescribable, you feel smaller, and so does your negative chatter.’ He adds: ‘the capacity to step outside of ourselves is a really valuable skill.’ Kross himself likes to go to a nearby arboretum, immerse himself among the trees and marvel at the astonishing power of nature. The research of Michelle Shiota, a professor of social psychology at Arizona State University, backs up Kross’s claims. She has conducted experiments which suggest that ‘the brain is constantly forming predictions of what will happen next; it uses its experiences to form mental stimulations that guide our perception, attention and behaviour. Awe-inspiring experiences—with their sense of grandeur, wonder and amazement—may confound those expectations, creating a “little earthquake” in the mind that causes the brain to reassess its assumptions and to pay more attention to what is actually in front of it.’ And if we are paying attention to something right in front and outside of ourselves, we may not only get a bit of respite from our anxieties, but also be much better at expressing generosity to others.

Being in nature is perhaps one of the easiest ways of evoking awe: a feeling of respect and wonder, sometimes tinged with a little fear. A huge wave you’re about to surf. Hiking in mountains that have been made by millennia of seismic and river activity. Looking up at the incandescence of a starry night sky. Or even narrowing in on the swaying grace of the praying mantis as it hunts the grass blades of your backyard.

*‘Awe: the ‘little earthquake’ that could free your mind’ by David Robson, BBC Worklife, at https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220103-awe-the-little-earthquake-that-could-free-your-mind

← Older Post Newer Post →

A different kind of wild

A different kind of wild

Australia. It’s a different kind of wild. Many people visiting this island continent for the first time are concerned about everything—large and small—that could kill you...

Read more
What we're exposed to matters

What we're exposed to matters

This week, I want to share an article from The Washington Post that explores what researchers suspect may be fueling cancer among millennials. It’s always...

Read more
Conscious Garment Care

Conscious Garment Care

Caring for our clothes is more than a chore, it’s a quiet, conscious ritual. Resharing with our community, Koala Eco co-founder, Jessica Brandon, was recently...

Read more
The Sunday Reset - Inspired by Mandarin [Citrus reticulata]

The Sunday Reset - Inspired by Mandarin [Citrus reticulata]

A guide to embracing the new week    Sweet. Sunny. Joyful.   The scent of mandarin is like a burst of sunshine, chasing the clouds...

Read more
Is this one of the best ways to help protect our planet?

Is this one of the best ways to help protect our planet?

What ‘personhood’ could mean for nature  ‘Personhood.’ In the Western legal system it’s a complex and much-debated concept, which doesn’t just apply to people, but...

Read more
Hot? Cold? Or somewhere in between

Hot? Cold? Or somewhere in between

Here’s what our skin has to say about water temperature   As the largest organ of the body, our skin is also among our most...

Read more