When was the last time you were truly in awe of something? It’s probably not a difficult question to answer if you cast your mind back. These moments are markers that stand out defined in the blur of remembering. For myself, it would be seeing the sunrise from Haleakalā in Maui. Watching the sun paint the sky from 10,000 feet above sea level, above the clouds, made me feel that odd combination of emotions awe can inspire; very small, and very lucky.
“Time is a game played beautifully by children.” – Heraclitus
These are important moments to have, and writer Madeleine Kruhly encourages us to seek them out in a summary she wrote for The Atlantic on the research of three scientists (Rudd, Vohs, and Aaker). This research focused on moments of awe and our perception of time. Results show that experiencing a moment of awe can alter your perception of time, making you feel as though you have more of it.
Integral to the conclusions reached is that awe puts the beholder in the moment, which can augment one’s sense of time. Other positives included an easing of impatience and an increased willingness to volunteer time in the name of others. People also begin to prefer an actual experience over material goods.
Kruhly tempers these results by reminding the reader of the rarity of moments of awe, “how often do we actually feel overwhelming—and unadulterated—awe?” And it’s a good point, that trip to Maui was over two years ago now, where did the time go!?!
Where the time goes is the central theme in the work of neuroscientist David Eagleman. Writer Burkhard Bilger’s article for the New Yorker on Eagleman is as extensive as it is inspiring. Studies have revealed our concept of time to be the result of a hodgepodge of systems each devoted to a different time scale (“the cerebral equivalent of a sundial, an hourglass, and an atomic clock”). Some of Eagleman’s research involves people free falling and attempting to measure the time of the fall (it’s always measured as longer than it actually is). Much of his research is based on his own life-threatening experience as a child during which time seemed to slow itself.
One of the seats of emotion and memory in the brain is the amygdala and when something threatens your life this area seems to kick into overdrive and record every last detail of the experience. The more detailed the memory, the longer the moment seems to last. Eagleman’s research offers an explanation as to why moments of awe are highlighted (your amygdala was heavily engaged). It also explains why we think that time speeds up when we grow older, or as he says, “Why childhood summers seem to go on forever while old age slips by while we’re dozing. The more familiar the world becomes, the less information your brain writes down, and the more quickly time seems to pass.”
Prior to reading about Eagleman, I had come into contact with the relationship between time, the amygdala, and memory while reading Joshua Foer’s book Moonwalking With Einstein (a book that chronicles his education in memory training and competing in the USA Memory Championships). I think he offers one of the best examples of the importance of new experiences in one sentence, “Monotony collapses time; novelty unfolds it”.
Now, what is important to note here is, all this is easier said than done. When we are children we are always having new experiences because so much is new to us. As adults, we must seek new experiences out and it goes against our evolutionary grain to seek out the unfamiliar. Alex Lickerman, in a piece written for Psychology Today, points out that studies have suggested we fear an unknown outcome more than a bad known one. New experiences are necessary to extend time but seeking unknown outcomes does not come naturally to us.
Our friends, family, the field of study, and work will always demand a measure of consistency (such is the nature of responsibility). Unfortunately, consistency requires a measure of routine and routine is a thief of time.
Still, while we will never recapture the level of newness and excitement of a child’s summer, we can make small breaks with routine and give ourselves moments of joy. We may also commit to larger leaps outside our comfort zone. Learn a new language, how to scuba dive, take up climbing, go to an open mic night, a cooking class, and of course travel. A yearly challenge or adventure will keep the years from bleeding into each other and increase the odds of the elusive moment of awe.
It’s fitting that my most recent moment of awe was at Haleakalā (meaning “house of the sun”). In Hawaiian folklore, the depression at the summit was home to the grandmother of the demigod Māui. According to legend Māui’s grandmother helped him capture the sun and force it to slow its journey across the sky…in order to make the day longer.
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Sources:
Moonwalking With Einstein, by Joshua Foer
Technology & Relationships
How we perceive, empathize and love each other in the Internet age
As social media continues to evolve, it influences everything from politics, self-esteem, status, and love. Under the increasingly needed scrutiny of this fact, we explore how we might be certain that we are using technology as much as it is using us.
This ebook was created to raise awareness of the impacts of technology on our relationships.
Download your free ebook and receive our newsletter every second Tuesday of the month.
