If you aren’t already accessing IFLScience daily, there’s a whole new reason to do so. That’s because researchers have discovered that awe-inspiring science can positively impact your sense of well-being.
A recently published paper examines how people view science in a spiritual way, similar to religious spirituality, and how this is linked to their well-being. is being featured.
Explaining the study’s premise, lead author Dr. Jesse Preston said in a statement, “Spirituality is often associated with religion, but science can be a powerful source of awe and wonder for many people. Science. can provide a meaningful source of information for understanding ourselves and who we are.” And it can foster a sense of connection to others and our place in the world. ”
These three studies surveyed 1,197 people, and the first study established the concept of “spirituality of science.” Participants were asked about their emotions when engaging with science (e.g., awe, connection, meaning) and their attitudes and beliefs toward science and religion.
The researchers found that scientific spirituality was psychologically related to awe and general spirituality in a similar way as religious spirituality. The second study aimed to discover whether this was the case.
A survey of 526 atheists and agnostics found that for some people, scientific spirituality actually brings happiness and meaning to life, just as religious spirituality does. It was found that it may be possible to predict the mental well-being of people.
The findings confounded what researchers thought they knew about the psychological effects of religious and secular spirituality.
“Previous research has found that religious beliefs generally predict better mental health, but also suggests that people with no religion may have worse mental health. “This study shows that the source of spirituality is actually external,” Preston said. Religion, like science, can have similar positive effects. ”
Science spirituality can also have a positive impact on how science is taught and learned. In the third study, the researchers investigated how meaningful experiences with science influence engagement with scientific information and memory recall, and made some interesting findings.
“We predicted that people who perceived a stronger sense of science spirituality would engage more actively with science materials, which would result in better science performance,” Preston explained.
Science and religion are sometimes at odds, but this study suggests they have more in common than people realize. Preston concluded:
“Science and religion differ in many ways, but they share the ability to exercise spirituality through awe, coherence, and meaning in life. As this study found, the ability to exercise this spirituality Competence has several important benefits and implications.”
The study is published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.
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