(fyiteam)
Science confirms that watching a sunset can change your mood.
The BBC brought together research showing that sunrise and sunset can have a meaningful effect on the brain and our mental health.
More specifically, watching the sun rise and set has been linked to lower anxiety and depressive mood, better memory and a greater willingness to help others.
(fyiteam)
The main benefits seem to come from the sense of awe that a sunset can inspire. In other words, the feeling we experience when faced with something we perceive as vast, rare, beautiful or difficult to understand.
Awe is obviously not limited to sunsets. It can also be triggered by other experiences, such as looking at a natural landscape or a work of art.
(fyiteam)
According to social psychologists, one of the most consistent features of awe is that it makes us feel smaller within something greater.
It can capture our attention and bring us back to the here and now.
This may help us see our personal problems as smaller too, reducing overthinking and anxiety.
A sunset will not solve your problems.
But it may change the way you see them.
(fyiteam)
The shift in perspective caused by awe also appears to be linked to more social behaviour.
In one experiment, students looked either at towering eucalyptus trees or at a building. When a researcher “accidentally” dropped some pens, those who had looked at the trees, and reported feeling more awe, were more likely to help pick them up.
A sunset may therefore indirectly increase our willingness to help others and connect socially.
(fyiteam)
Beyond wellbeing, experiences of awe also appear to improve the immediate retention of information.
In one experiment, participants watched three different films, including a science film designed to inspire awe. They then listened to a story and were asked to recall its details.
Those who had watched the awe-inspiring film remembered the details more accurately. The mechanism is not yet clear, but scientists believe that awe strengthens our attention to the present moment and, as a result, our ability to retain information.
(fyiteam)
In a study of 200 people, those who reported frequently experiencing positive emotions such as joy and awe consistently had lower cytokine levels.
Cytokines are markers of inflammation in the body. When they remain chronically elevated, they are associated with a higher risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and depression.
It is not certain why this happens, but one possible explanation is that awe reduces stress or strengthens our sense of connection with others.
