The Overview Effect: The emotional experience that might save the planet

The overview effect is a profound emotional experience that was coined after astronauts experienced a deep sense of awe and respect for Earth and humankind. Could it be the answer to help save the planet?

Further reading:
Yaden, D. B., Iwry, J., Slack, K. J., Eichstaedt, J. C., Zhao, Y., Vaillant, G. E., & Newberg, A. B. (2016). The overview effect: Awe and self-transcendent experience in space flight. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3(1), 1.
van Limpt-Broers, H. A. T., Postma, M., & Louwerse, M. M. (2020). Creating ambassadors of planet earth: the overview effect in K12 education. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2548.
White, W. F. (2021). The overview effect and creative performance in extreme human environments. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 613.
White, F. (1998). The overview effect: Space exploration and human evolution. AIAA.
Stepanova, E. R., Quesnel, D., & Riecke, B. E. (2019). Understanding AWE: Can a virtual journey, inspired by the overview effect, lead to an increased sense of interconnectedness?. Frontiers in Digital Humanities, 6, 9.

[Ray-czht]

Love it! You are by far the best psychology channel on youtube!

[yoni-in-BHAM]

The funny thing is that I've had that effect while watching a YouTube video about the size and age of the known universe. All the structures and the distances between anything out there just made me think of how insignificant our lives are in the scheme of things.

One day all that has and will exist here on earth will be no more. Evolution's relentless drive will finally cease forever. After our end, eons will pass, before the end of that which now fills our skies.

No one to remember us, our achievements, our failures... All of the earths treasures, her flora and fauna, all living things of our world gone forever.

How I see myself and all life around the planet has changed drastically. Not in the same way as those who've been to space I think, but beyond that. My mind has gone beyond life itself to that long cold, dark and distant future.

Edit:

All this has centered me and has made me appreciate the here and now. I no longer ask why we exist... I am!