Podcast Summary
Exploring the Power of Wonder: Wonder, an emotion of awe and expansion, is essential for our survival and flourishing as humans. It's beneficial to regularly experience wonder and can be intentionally cultivated. Notable figures like John Muir and William James were shaped by wonder. Despite its significance, wonder is understudied by psychologists and physiologists.
Wonder is a unique emotion that triggers a feeling state of awe and expansion, often in response to something new or unexpected. It's a startle response that mobilizes thought, behavior, and communication. Wonder is a commonality in various religious practices throughout history, and it's essential for our survival and flourishing as humans. However, it becomes harder to experience wonder as we age. Despite its significance, wonder is one of the least studied emotions by psychologists and physiologists. In the conversation with Robert Fuller, a professor of religious studies at Bradley University, they discuss the benefits of experiencing wonder regularly, how it shaped the lives of notable figures like John Muir and William James, and how religion ritualizes wonder. Overall, the podcast leaves us pondering the importance of wonder in our lives and how we can intentionally cultivate it.
The complex emotion of wonder: astonished and perplexed: Wonder is a complex emotion, difficult to induce in a lab, characterized by astonishment, perplexity, and curiosity, and its evolutionary advantage is unclear.
Wonder, an emotion characterized by astonishment, perplexity, and bewildered curiosity, has been understudied in psychology due to its difficulty to reliably induce in a laboratory setting and its unclear evolutionary advantage. Unlike emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, which are easier to trigger and have clear survival advantages, wonder is an odd emotion state that leaves us feeling astonished and perplexed in the face of something vast, beautiful, or true. Unlike awe, which is characterized by a sense of intimidation and subordination, wonder is a more passive emotion, leaving us in a state of bewilderment as to the source of the experience. Despite its importance in our lives, wonder has been conceptually and theoretically lagging behind other emotions in the field of psychology.
Exploring the Unique Emotion of Wonder: Wonder is a passive emotion that inspires contemplation about the bigger picture, broadens our perspective, and deepens our connection to the world.
Wonder is a unique emotional state that sets it apart from typical emotions due to its passive nature and its ability to inspire contemplation about the bigger picture. Unlike emotions such as fear, which trigger a fight or flight response and tunnel vision, wonder causes us to ponder the sources of grand beauty and the mysteries of the universe. Although the evolutionary advantages of wonder are not fully understood, it may have played a role in our ability to contemplate causality and understand the world beyond ourselves. Unlike emotions like guilt, which motivate us to conform to social norms, wonder is a more passive emotion that doesn't lead to immediate physical action or tension relief. It's a rare and valuable emotional state that broadens our perspective and deepens our connection to the world around us.
The power of wonder: a positive emotion that sets us apart: Wonder, a positive emotion, inspires social bonding and intellectual curiosity through engagement with our surroundings
The capacity for wonder, which emerged with the larger cerebral cortex in human evolution, sets us apart from other species by mobilizing approach emotions that foster greater connection both socially and intellectually. Wonder, a positive emotion akin to joy, leads us to engage with our surroundings, inspiring social bonding and philosophical and spiritual contemplation. Socrates recognized wonder as the emotion that underpins philosophy, and it can be evoked through various experiences, such as art, science, and even music or stargazing. By opening our minds to the mysteries and grandeur of the universe, wonder enriches our lives and deepens our sense of belonging to a larger cosmic whole.
The preciousness of experiencing wonder: Experiencing wonder, despite being rare due to increased knowledge, opens our minds, fosters curiosity, and encourages us to think abstractly and big picture.
Wonder, the feeling of amazement and curiosity towards the universe and its mysteries, plays a significant role in shaping our perspectives and experiences. It can be triggered in various aspects of life, including relationships, nature, art, and scientific discoveries. However, as we grow older and gain more knowledge, it becomes harder to experience wonder due to our increased understanding of the world. Yet, this rarity makes it even more precious and valuable, as it opens our minds, fosters curiosity, and encourages us to think abstractly and big picture. One notable example of this is John Muir, the conservationist, who was deeply influenced by the sense of wonder he felt in nature and went on to dedicate his life to preserving it. Despite not being well-adapted to the economic realities of his time, his experiences of wonder enriched not only his own life but also the world at large.
Discovering the power of wonder: Wonder can inspire personal growth and societal change through experiences in nature or other profound moments.
The emotion of wonder has the power to shape individuals' lives and inspire significant long-term impacts. John Muir's deep connection with nature, fueled by a lifetime of experiences in rural California, led him to appreciate life for its own sake and ultimately founded the Sierra Club, a pioneering conservation movement. Similarly, William James, a Harvard-educated doctor and philosopher, was inspired by his own mystical experiences in nature and with substances to explore the depths of human consciousness and the mysteries beyond our five senses. The emotion of wonder, whether triggered by a single event or a lifetime of experiences, can lead to profound personal growth and societal change.
Exploring the sense of wonder through spirituality and science: William James believed that wonder, triggered by experiences in nature or the lab, could bridge the gap between spirituality and science, and that religions could help us explore and ritualize this sense of wonder.
William James, a philosopher and psychologist who lived at Harvard during the modern era of social science and philosophy, believed that the emotion of wonder could help bridge the gap between spirituality and science. He found that certain experiences, such as those in nature or in the laboratory, could trigger a sense of wonder that opened us up to something greater than ourselves and our rational understanding of the universe. James argued that religions, with their mysterious rituals and sacraments, were a way of ritualizing and exploring this sense of wonder. While scientific inquiry into the origins of wonder can be informative, it can also take some of the wonder out of the experience. Ultimately, James believed that wonder could help us navigate the complex question of how to connect our lives to the highest reality, while remaining open to both spiritual and scientific understandings.
Exploring the human desire for wonder and awe: Through intentional experiences and a willingness to be surprised, we can cultivate wonder and expand our understanding of the world.
Throughout history, humans have sought to experience wonder and awe, often through ritualized practices. These rituals can stem from actual wondrous experiences or be fabricated through stories and art. Religious and non-religious groups alike have used these practices to provide an existential framework and connect to something greater than themselves. Examples include mountain hiking groups in Japan, where the natural beauty of sunrises triggers a sense of wonder. Individuals can also facilitate wonder in their own lives by being open to unexpected experiences, such as reading a profound poem or passage. Ultimately, wonder is about encountering the unexpected and expanding our understanding of the world. It cannot be forced, but it can be cultivated through intentional experiences and a willingness to be surprised.
The pursuit of wonder in life: Exploring moments of mystery and connection to something greater evokes a sense of wonder and brings us closer to the world around us.
The source of truth and wonder in life goes beyond individual experiences and can be found in moments that evoke a sense of mystery and connection to something greater. These moments can be found in various forms, such as looking up at the starry sky or attending a religious service. According to Robert Fuller, author of "Wonder: From Emotion to Spirituality," it's not necessarily the doctrines of religions that draw us in, but rather the sense of wonder and connection they evoke. This sense of wonder is a rare human emotion that opens us up to care for and connect with the wider universe. Fuller's work explores this idea further, and interested listeners can find more information on his website at Bradley University or by reading his book. Overall, the pursuit of wonder is an important aspect of the human experience and can bring us back to a greater sense of connection and affinity with the world around us.
