Taken by Apollo 8 crewmember Bill Anders on December 24, 1968.© NASA
Author: To read Jill Suttie's article, please click here.
Overcoming threats to humankind, like pandemics or climate change, requires a global response. Unfortunately, it can be hard to feel connected to people who are far away or very different from us—especially when we are focused on our own concerns closer to home.
How can we build a stronger sense of our common humanity and care more about the global community? A recent study suggests that experiencing awe may help.
The researchers found that people feeling awe (as opposed to other emotions) felt a “small self” more strongly, which made them identify more with being a global citizen and feel more connected to people across the world. The same held true whether awe was induced by a negative or positive event.
“Awe helps you realize that you’re a small piece of a larger universe,” says Sean Laurent of Pennsylvania State University, a coauthor of the study. “That naturally leads to a realization that people elsewhere are relevant and worthy of concern.”
Comments (0)