I was breezing along through this NewScientist (29 July 2017, paywall) article on how the experience of awe affects us:
Credit: Parks.ca.gov
… [University of California – Berkeley Professor Dacher] Keltner and others have found that even mild awe can change our attitudes and behaviour. For example, people who watched a nature video that elicited awe – rather than other positive emotions such as happiness or pride – were subsequently more ethical, more generous and described themselves as feeling more connected to people in general. Gazing up at tall eucalyptus trees left others more likely to help someone who stumbled in front of them. And after standing in front of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, people were more likely to describe themselves as part of a group. It might seem counterintuitive that an emotion we often experience alone increases our focus on others. But Keltner thinks it’s because awe expands our attention to encompass a bigger picture, so reducing our sense of self.
Sounds awfully neat, doesn’t it? But I wasn’t really thinking about it that much, so this was quite a jar to the noggin:
In the modern world, though, we’re more likely to be gazing at our smartphones than at giant redwoods or a starry sky. And Keltner is concerned about the impact of our increasing disconnection from nature, one of the most potent sources of awe. “I’m struck by how awe makes us humble and charitable,” he says. “Is that why we have so much incivility and hatred right now in the US? I think we should be asking these questions.”
The suggestion is certainly interesting, although honestly I don’t think the incivility comes from those hooked on smartphones. But it’s still a fascinating thought – just what are we losing when we lose touch with Nature? When we retreat into a world constructed exclusively by humans?
Addendum: I published this piece and turned around to check my mail and there’s something from a friend about the largest dinosaur ever found. At possibly as much as 80 tons and based on nearly complete skeletons, that would fall into the category of awesome, were it met in flesh and blood. But a question does arise – from MSN & The Atlantic:
Patagotitan lived during the Cretaceous period around 101 million years ago. And for some reason, it frequented the area that eventually became the Mayo family’s farm [in Argentina]. Carballido and Pol’s team returned to the site more than a dozen times, disinterring every fossil they could find. In the process, they built a road and partially removed a hill. Eventually, they recovered bones from at least six Patagotitan individuals. And their bones reveal that they were in their prime—young, still growing, and not yet at their full adult size.
Carballido thinks that these individuals all died at different times, but he has no idea why they all died in this one place. He found the teeth of many meat-eating dinosaurs around the site, but he doubts any predator could have tackled such gargantuan prey. “They were too strong,” he says. “It would have been too risky for a carnivore.” Whatever their reasons, their attraction to this one place meant that Carballido’s team eventually uncovered more than 200 Patagotitan bones, covering most of the animal’s skeleton. “The most amazing moment for us was realizing that the dinosaur is not only large, but also more complete than any other titanosaur,” Carballido says.
Keeping in mind dinos generally had small brains, perhaps the carnivores weren’t capable of realizing the implications of attacking a Patagotitan – I wonder if that’s been considered. And, of course, desperation will drive any creature to try the impossible.
But running into one of these babies …
This all reminds me of a visit to New Delhi a few years ago. We visited an archaeological site which contained a hand built massive tower, maybe 100 feet tall, from several centuries ago. If it wasn’t in your field of vision, then you could see the site. If it was in your field of vision, it dominated. It took your breath away.
