How does a solar eclipse affect our psychology?

 On April 8th, a particularly followed solar eclipse event occurred, especially in North America. Scientists argue that such awe-inspiring cosmological events can have a strong impact on our psychology.

In Herodotus' writings, it's described as, "As the battle raged on, the day suddenly turned into night. When the Medes and Lydians observed this change, they halted the battle and agreed to negotiate peace terms."

While this year's solar eclipse on April 8th in North America may not evoke such dramatic reactions, recent research suggests that such awe-inspiring cosmological events could have a profound impact on our psychology.

Experiencing a total solar eclipse, made possible by a series of celestial coincidences, is perhaps one of the most awe-inspiring events.

Research indicates that witnessing this remarkable phenomenon inspires humility and encourages us to show more concern for others.

-Sean Goldy, a psychologist at Johns Hopkins University who studied the psychological effects of the 2017 eclipse, says, "People may feel a greater sense of closeness and develop stronger social bonds with others during such events."

The emotion, defined as a sense of wonder and amazement triggered by the perception of vastness that makes us feel small, has become an increasingly popular area of interest in scientific studies over the past 20 years.

-Psychologist Jennifer Stellar from the University of Toronto says, "It's the feeling you get when you perceive something that is vast and challenges your worldview. It's a sensation experienced in the presence of something or someone so extraordinary that it's almost incomprehensible."

-According to psychologist Dacher Keltner from the University of California, Berkeley, as written in his book "Awe," the feeling of wonder can "silence the critical, self-critical, controlling, status-conscious voice of our ego" and empower us.

It allows us to "be more cooperative, open our minds to wonders, and see the deep patterns of life." While this is a bold claim, Keltner and his colleagues have gathered ample evidence to support it. One such study, conducted in 2018, examined the relationship between awe and humility. The research team showed half of the participants a short video depicting the Universe while the other half watched a soothing video explaining how to build garden fences. Then, both groups were asked to write down their strengths and weaknesses. As hypothesized, the group exposed to the space video was more likely to experience a sense of awe, and their essays exhibited fewer strengths compared to the others, which was interpreted as a sign of humility.

-In another study described in the same article, researchers asked participants to recall a time when they felt awe, while another third recalled a time when they were entertained by something funny, and the remaining third remembered a mundane trip to buy groceries. Participants were then asked to rate on a scale of 0 to 100 how much various factors contributed to their success in life, including their own abilities, luck, or external factors like God.

-The researchers found that those who experienced a sense of awe tended to give more humble responses to this question. The lead author of the article, Stellar, says, "If awe diminishes feelings of self-focus and self-importance, it's meaningful," and adds: "Our ego directs our perception and decisions, but a transcendent emotion like awe can disrupt its influence over us."