Psychologists are particularly interested about astronauts who report feelings of awe and wonder when viewing the planet Earth from space, prompting them to conduct an investigation to better understand it.
Called the "overview effect," this phenomenon also include having feelings of transformation by what can be described as the magic that the experience brings.
The research team has two main goals in this endeavor. Firstly, they want to investigate the implications for space flight as more and more space missions are being set for humans. Secondly, they want to comprehend the sensation more, in the hopes of reproducing that pleasing feeling for non-astronauts.
Astronauts' Accounts
The team looked into the statements of astronauts who have gone to space and have observed the planet Earth. Ideas that can be rooted from their excerpts include unity, vastness, connectedness and perception. Looking at such strong words imply that the experience is such a life-altering moment.
For example, when NASA astronaut Scott Kelly returned from his record-breaking stay at the ISS, he described how much he was able to appreciate the Earth while he was viewing it from space.
Earthlings travel to amazing places and watch sunsets, which give the same feelings. However, astronauts are having the extreme version and by looking at that version of a general concept, experts can learn more.
No Religious Relations
While the experiences may be associated with a religious context, the authors say it is not the case for astronauts.
Space is highly-scientific and it does not involve such connotations. People do not frequently think that these very strict astronauts report blissful moments in space.
Another point to ponder is that experiences may be duplicated. So while behavior is hard to modify, being able to see astronauts having that kind of deep and duplicable effect is something that highly interests psychologists.
Recreating That Elating Feeling
"In the end, what we care about is how to induce these experiences," says study author Johannes Eichstaedt from the University of Pennsylvania. This may help people cope better, feel more connected and rethink troubles.
The expert team also thinks that psychology should be a part of future space missions. They hope to give out recommendations to maintain astronauts' well-being for prolonged missions.
The authors are looking at partnering with private spaceflight companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, and ideally hoping to collaborate with astronauts who are already in space.
The study was published in the March issue of the journal Psychology of Consciousness.
