Make Time for Awe

[xchrom]

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/make-time-for-awe/282245/



Jason Silva is a self-described epiphany junkie. He recently enthused to me about how some movies, for example, manage to capture attention and create a complete, immersive transformation for the viewer.

In his "Shots of Awe" YouTube series, Silva wants to interrupt your mundane existence with "philosophical espresso shots" designed to inspire you to live to the fullest.

It’s easy to get swept away by Silva’s vision of the future: a revolutionary convergence of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. He considers awe to be a pivotal ingredient in making ideas resonate. In his three-minute clips, he hardly takes a breath as he spouts rousing optimism over digitally animated film.

He may be onto something. A new study published in the journal Psychological Science shows there are residual health benefits to having your mind blown.

[CanSocDem]

1. This is an important technique in healing.

However, because it must compete with a well established marketplace of alternatives that treat rather than heal, it doesn't get the attention it deserves.

"The experience of awe is one where you are temporarily off-kilter in terms of your understanding of the world," explains Vohs. "People mostly walk around with a sense of knowing what is going on in the world. They have hypotheses about the way people behave and what might happen; those are pretty air-tight. It is hard to get people to shake from those because that’s just how the brain works. We are always walking around trying to confirm the things we already think. When you are in a state of awe, it puts you off balance and as a consequence, we think people might be ready to learn new things and have some of their assumptions questioned." Rudd, of Stanford, is currently working on a follow-up study to understand just how awe-inspired moments might open a person up to learning new information.

No need to look any further than here for evidence of the need for "confirmation". If placid acceptance of established norms is the only way you can get through life you should open yourself up to "awe" inspiring moments.

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[IrishAyes]

2. Animals and nature itself have always been a rich source of awe for me.

One time on a country morning walk I happened to look down, and very nearby there was a little field mouse sitting up on its haunches. I guess it wanted to keep still to avoid drawing undue attention from a possible predator. But as I stood there looking at it, the sun shone through its tiny, translucent ears and turned them into jewels. I've seen great beauty in my life, but little to match that.