When an astronaut looks at Earth from space, they see a blue-white gem floating in the dark. Most astronauts, when they see our planet, feel awe and wonder. Now, psychologists are looking at why astronauts may feel this way as they look at Earth from space.
In this latest study, the researchers wanted to look at implications for space flight as agencies head toward years-long missions to locations like Mars. They also wanted to understand how to trigger a similar sensation in non-astronauts.
In order to do so, the research team analyzed excerpts from astronauts all over the world who documented viewing Earth from space. Several themes emerged from the quotes, such as ideas of unity, vastness, connectedness and perception. In other words, there was a sense of an overwhelming, life-changing moment.
"We watch sunsets whenever we travel to beautiful places to get a little taste of this kind of experience," said David Yaden of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the researchers involved in the study. "These astronauts are having something more extreme. By studying the more-extreme version of a general phenomenon, you can often learn more about it."
The researchers want to actually duplicate this experience for non-space travelers and hope to potentially use virtual reality and other means to do so.
"In the end, what we care about is how to induce these experiences," said Johannes Eichstaedt, also from the University of Pennsylvania. "They help people in some ways be more adaptive, feel more connected, reframe their troubles."
Psychology is extremely important when it comes to extended space missions. People are locked into somewhat-cramped quarters for weeks or even months on end, which means that extending these missions to be years-long is bound to have an impact on their psychology. Learning ways to help astronauts during these times is crucial.
"Space is fascinating because it's a highly scientific, highly secular environment, so it doesn't have these connotations," Yaden said. "We think of people who do a lot of meditation or climb mountains, people who are awe junkies, having these experiences. We don't [often] think of these very strict scientists reporting these blissful moments."
The results reveal a bit more about this phenomenon. More specifically, they show what steps researchers should take moving forward to better understand it.
The findings were published in the April 2016 issue of the journal Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research and Practice.
