November 1, 2013

The Overview Effect: Why We Should Send World Leaders to Space

Anousheh Ansari, the first female private space explorer, believes that if world leaders experienced what she did, they would come up with very different policies.

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Seeing Earth from space is one of the most powerful experiences that a human being can have.

Psychologists have studied the so-called “overview effect,” or the experience of true awe, and measured its impact on human subjects. It turns out to be transformational. Subjects have been found to be more patient, less materialistic, and more willing to volunteer to help others.

That is why Anousheh Ansari, the first female private space explorer, says she believes that world leaders should be made to experience what she saw, and feel what she was feeling. If so, Ansari says, she believes they would see the world in a new lights and, as a result, come up with very different policies.

Watch Ansari in the XPRIZE Insights video here:

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Multiple country flags on poles against a clear blue sky, representing international diversity and unity.

The Present

From global to planetary: Is new governance needed in a post-Holocene world?

The nation-state had a good run, but its usefulness may have come to an end.

Portrait of a smiling man in front of a background featuring chemical structures and molecular models in green and blue hues.

The Present

Inside the battle for FDA approval of MDMA therapy

MAPS founder Rick Doblin speaks to Big Think about the FDA’s rejection of MDMA therapy and the future of psychedelic treatments.

Fifteen colorful emoji faces on a textured background, each capturing different moods like joy, anger, sadness, and surprise.

Business

Heidegger’s “mood theory” explains why you do anything at all

You’re a moody person. You have to be — because understanding moods philosophically can be crucial to your work-life.

A bear attempting to catch a jumping fish near a waterfall.

Nature’s “perfect balance” is a mystery scientists are trying to decode

“While society’s been humming along and enjoying all these advances in agriculture and medicine, in the last 50 or 60 years, ecologists have learned a lot about how nature works. I’ve codified these into a set of rules called the ‘Serengeti Rules.’”

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Could SETI detect a “twin” of Earth?

Earth is actively broadcasting and actively searching for intelligent civilizations. But could our technology even detect ourselves?

Up Next

Pragmatism Will Create a High-Energy Planet

It isn’t feasible to think that the potential tripling or even quadrupling of energy demand in the coming years can be met with renewable energy sources.