How we experience awe -- and why it matters
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0:02 - 0:03Before I get started:
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0:03 - 0:05I'm really excited to be here
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0:05 - 0:08to just actually watch
what's going to happen, from here. -
0:08 - 0:13So with that said,
we're going to start with: -
0:13 - 0:16What is one of our greatest needs,
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0:16 - 0:19one of our greatest needs for our brain?
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0:19 - 0:21And instead of telling you,
I want to show you. -
0:21 - 0:23In fact, I want you to feel it.
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0:23 - 0:25There's a lot I want you to feel
in the next 14 minutes. -
0:25 - 0:27So, if we could all stand up.
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0:27 - 0:32We're all going to conduct
a piece of Strauss together. -
0:33 - 0:34Alright? And you all know it.
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0:35 - 0:36Alright. Are you ready?
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0:36 - 0:38Audience: Yeah!
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0:38 - 0:40Beau Lotto: Alright.
Ready, one, two, three! -
0:41 - 0:42It's just the end.
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0:42 - 0:46(Music: Richard Strauss
"Also Sprach Zarathustra") -
0:49 - 0:50Right?
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0:50 - 0:52You know where it's going.
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0:52 - 0:57(Music)
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1:02 - 1:03Oh, it's coming!
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1:11 - 1:12(Music stops abruptly)
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1:12 - 1:13Oh!
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1:13 - 1:14(Laughter)
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1:14 - 1:16Right?
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1:16 - 1:17Collective coitus interruptus.
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1:17 - 1:18OK, you can all sit down.
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1:18 - 1:20(Laughter)
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1:20 - 1:24We have a fundamental need for closure.
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1:24 - 1:26(Laughter)
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1:26 - 1:27We love closure.
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1:27 - 1:30(Applause)
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1:30 - 1:33I was told the story that Mozart,
just before he'd go to bed, -
1:33 - 1:35he'd go to the piano and go,
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1:35 - 1:36"da-da-da-da-da."
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1:36 - 1:38His father, who was already in bed,
would think, "Argh." -
1:38 - 1:41He'd have to get up
and hit the final note to the chord -
1:41 - 1:43before he could go back to sleep.
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1:43 - 1:44(Laughter)
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1:44 - 1:49So the need for closure
leads us to thinking about: -
1:49 - 1:51What is our greatest fear?
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1:52 - 1:57Think -- what is our greatest fear
growing up, even now? -
1:57 - 2:01And it's the fear of the dark.
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2:04 - 2:06We hate uncertainty.
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2:06 - 2:08We hate to not know.
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2:08 - 2:10We hate it.
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2:10 - 2:11Think about horror films.
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2:11 - 2:14Horror films are always shot in the dark,
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2:14 - 2:16in the forest,
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2:16 - 2:17at night,
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2:17 - 2:18in the depths of the sea,
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2:18 - 2:20the blackness of space.
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2:21 - 2:24And the reason is because
dying was easy during evolution. -
2:24 - 2:26If you weren't sure that was a predator,
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2:26 - 2:27it was too late.
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2:27 - 2:30Your brain evolved to predict.
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2:30 - 2:32And if you couldn't predict, you died.
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2:33 - 2:37And the way your brain predicts
is by encoding the bias and assumptions -
2:37 - 2:39that were useful in the past.
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2:40 - 2:42But those assumptions
just don't stay inside your brain. -
2:42 - 2:45You project them out into the world.
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2:45 - 2:47There is no bird there.
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2:48 - 2:51You're projecting the meaning
onto the screen. -
2:53 - 2:56Everything I'm saying to you right now
is literally meaningless. -
2:57 - 3:00(Laughter)
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3:00 - 3:03You're creating the meaning
and projecting it onto me. -
3:03 - 3:05And what's true for objects
is true for other people. -
3:05 - 3:08While you can measure
their "what" and their "when," -
3:08 - 3:10you can never measure their "why."
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3:10 - 3:11So we color other people.
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3:11 - 3:16We project a meaning onto them
based on our biases and our experience. -
3:18 - 3:22Which is why the best of design is almost
always about decreasing uncertainty. -
3:23 - 3:25So when we step into uncertainty,
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3:26 - 3:29our bodies respond
physiologically and mentally. -
3:29 - 3:32Your immune system
will start deteriorating. -
3:32 - 3:35Your brain cells wither and even die.
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3:35 - 3:38Your creativity and intelligence decrease.
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3:38 - 3:42We often go from fear to anger,
almost too often. -
3:42 - 3:45Why? Because fear is a state of certainty.
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3:46 - 3:48You become morally judgmental.
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3:48 - 3:50You become an extreme version of yourself.
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3:50 - 3:53If you're a conservative,
you become more conservative. -
3:53 - 3:55If you're a liberal,
you become more liberal. -
3:55 - 3:57Because you go to a place of familiarity.
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3:58 - 4:01The problem is that the world changes.
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4:02 - 4:03And we have to adapt or die.
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4:03 - 4:05And if you want to shift from A to B,
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4:05 - 4:07the first step is not B.
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4:07 - 4:10The first step is to go from A to not A --
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4:11 - 4:13to let go of your bias and assumptions;
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4:13 - 4:18to step into the very place
that our brain evolved to avoid; -
4:20 - 4:23to step into the place of the unknown.
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4:26 - 4:28But it's so essential
that we go to this place -
4:28 - 4:31that our brain gave us a solution.
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4:31 - 4:33Evolution gave us a solution.
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4:33 - 4:38And it's possibly one of the most profound
perceptual experiences. -
4:39 - 4:42And it's the experience of awe.
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4:44 - 4:49(Music)
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5:44 - 5:48(Applause)
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5:49 - 5:55(Music)
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5:57 - 6:01(Applause)
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6:01 - 6:06(Music)
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6:45 - 6:49(Applause)
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6:50 - 6:55(Music)
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7:05 - 7:10(Applause)
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7:10 - 7:14(Cheers)
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7:14 - 7:18(Applause)
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7:20 - 7:23Beau Lotto: Ah, how wonderful, right?
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7:23 - 7:30So right now, you're probably all feeling,
at some level or another, awe. -
7:30 - 7:31Right?
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7:32 - 7:35So what's happening
inside your brain right now? -
7:36 - 7:37And for thousands of years,
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7:37 - 7:40we've been thinking and writing
and experiencing awe, -
7:40 - 7:43and we know so little about it.
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7:44 - 7:50And so to try to understand
what is it and what does it do, -
7:50 - 7:55my Lab of Misfits had just
the wonderful opportunity and the pleasure -
7:56 - 8:01to work with who are some of the greatest
creators of awe that we know: -
8:01 - 8:04the writers, the creators,
the directors, the accountants, -
8:04 - 8:07the people who are Cirque Du Soleil.
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8:08 - 8:10And so we went to Las Vegas,
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8:11 - 8:15and we recorded
the brain activity of people -
8:15 - 8:17while they're watching the performance,
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8:17 - 8:20over 10 performances of "O,"
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8:20 - 8:23which is iconic Cirque performance.
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8:23 - 8:26And we also measured
the behavior before the performance, -
8:26 - 8:29as well as a different group
after the performance. -
8:29 - 8:32And so we had over 200 people involved.
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8:33 - 8:35So what is awe?
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8:35 - 8:38What is happening
inside your brain right now? -
8:38 - 8:41It's a brain state. OK?
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8:41 - 8:43The front part of your brain,
the prefrontal cortex, -
8:43 - 8:46which is responsible
for your executive function, -
8:46 - 8:47your attentional control,
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8:47 - 8:49is now being downregulated.
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8:50 - 8:55The part of your brain called
the DMN, default mode network, -
8:55 - 8:58which is the interaction
between multiple areas in your brain, -
8:58 - 9:02which is active during, sort of, ideation,
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9:02 - 9:05creative thinking in terms
of divergent thinking and daydreaming, -
9:05 - 9:06is now being upregulated.
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9:08 - 9:10And right about now,
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9:10 - 9:13the activity in your
prefrontal cortex is changing. -
9:13 - 9:16It's becoming asymmetrical
in its activity, -
9:16 - 9:18biased towards the right,
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9:18 - 9:22which is highly correlated
when people step forward into the world, -
9:22 - 9:23as opposed to step back.
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9:25 - 9:30In fact, the activity across the brains
of all these people was so correlated -
9:30 - 9:32that we're able to train
an artificial neural network -
9:32 - 9:35to predict whether or not
people are experiencing awe -
9:35 - 9:38to an accuracy of 75 percent on average,
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9:38 - 9:40with a maximum of 83 percent.
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9:43 - 9:46So what does this brain state do?
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9:47 - 9:49Well, others have demonstrated,
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9:49 - 9:51for instance, Professors
Haidt and Keltner, -
9:51 - 9:56have told us that people feel small
but connected to the world. -
9:57 - 10:00And their prosocial behavior increases,
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10:00 - 10:03because they feel an increased
affinity towards others. -
10:04 - 10:06And we've also shown in this study
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10:06 - 10:10that people have less need
for cognitive control. -
10:10 - 10:14They're more comfortable with uncertainty
without having closure. -
10:14 - 10:17And their appetite
for risk also increases. -
10:17 - 10:21They actually seek risk,
and they are better able at taking it. -
10:22 - 10:25And something that
was really quite profound -
10:25 - 10:26is that when we asked people,
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10:26 - 10:30"Are you someone who has a propensity
to experience awe?" -
10:31 - 10:33They were more likely
to give a positive response -
10:33 - 10:35after the performance
than they were [before]. -
10:35 - 10:39They literally redefined themselves
and their history. -
10:41 - 10:47So, awe is possibly the perception
that is bigger than us. -
10:49 - 10:51And in the words of Joseph Campbell,
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10:51 - 10:54"Awe is what enables us to move forward."
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10:55 - 10:56Or in the words of a dear friend,
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10:56 - 10:59probably one of our
greatest photographers, -
10:59 - 11:01still living photographers,
Duane Michaels, -
11:01 - 11:02he said to me just the other day
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11:02 - 11:07that maybe it gives us the curiosity
to overcome our cowardice. -
11:09 - 11:12So who cares? Why should we care?
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11:13 - 11:14Well, consider conflict,
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11:14 - 11:17which seems to be so omnipresent
in our society at the moment. -
11:17 - 11:19If you and I are in conflict,
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11:19 - 11:22it's as if we're at the opposite
ends of the same line. -
11:22 - 11:25And my aim is to prove that you're wrong
and to shift you towards me. -
11:25 - 11:28The problem is, you are doing
exactly the same. -
11:28 - 11:31You're trying to prove that I'm wrong
and shift me towards you. -
11:31 - 11:36Notice that conflict is the setup
to win but not learn. -
11:37 - 11:39Your brain only learns if we move.
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11:39 - 11:41Life is movement.
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11:43 - 11:48So, what if we could use awe,
not to get rid of conflict -- -
11:48 - 11:52conflict is essential,
conflict is how your brain expands, -
11:52 - 11:53it's how your brain learns --
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11:53 - 11:57but rather, to enter conflict
in a different way? -
11:58 - 12:01And what if awe could
enable us to enter it -
12:01 - 12:02in at least two different ways?
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12:02 - 12:06One, to give us the humility
and courage to not know. -
12:06 - 12:11Right? To enter conflict
with a question instead of an answer. -
12:11 - 12:12What would happen then?
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12:12 - 12:15To enter the conflict
with uncertainty instead of certainty. -
12:16 - 12:19And the second is,
in entering conflict that way, -
12:19 - 12:22to seek to understand,
rather than convince. -
12:23 - 12:27Because everyone makes sense
to themselves, right? -
12:27 - 12:29And to understand another person,
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12:29 - 12:31is to understand the biases
and assumptions -
12:31 - 12:33that give rise to their behavior.
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12:34 - 12:37And we've actually initiated a pilot study
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12:37 - 12:41to look to see whether
we could use art-induced awe -
12:41 - 12:43to facilitate toleration.
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12:44 - 12:47And the results are actually
incredibly positive. -
12:47 - 12:50We can mitigate against anger and hate
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12:50 - 12:53through the experience of awe
generated by art. -
12:54 - 12:58So where can we find awe,
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12:58 - 13:00given how important it is?
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13:03 - 13:05So, what if ...
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13:07 - 13:09A suggestion:
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13:09 - 13:12that awe is not just
to be found in the grandeur. -
13:13 - 13:14Awe is essential.
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13:14 - 13:18Often, it's scale --
the mountains, the sunscape. -
13:20 - 13:23But what if we could actually
rescale ourselves -
13:24 - 13:28and find the impossible in the simple?
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13:29 - 13:30And if this is true,
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13:31 - 13:35and our data are right,
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13:35 - 13:37then endeavors like science,
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13:37 - 13:41adventure, art, ideas, love,
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13:41 - 13:44a TED conference, performance,
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13:45 - 13:48are not only inspired by awe,
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13:49 - 13:53but could actually be our ladders
into uncertainty -
13:54 - 13:55to help us expand.
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14:15 - 14:16Thank you very much.
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14:16 - 14:17(Applause)
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14:17 - 14:18Please, come up.
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14:18 - 14:22(Applause)
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14:22 - 14:27(Cheers)
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14:27 - 14:33(Applause)
- Title:
- How we experience awe -- and why it matters
- Speaker:
- Beau Lotto and Cirque du Soleil
- Description:
-
Neuroscientist Beau Lotto conducted an ambitious study with Cirque du Soleil on the emotion of awe and its psychological and behavioral benefits. In this talk and live performance, he shares some of their findings -- and stands back as Cirque du Soleil dancers and a sand animation artist create their own awe-inducing spectacle.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 14:48
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for How we experience awe -- and why it matters | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for How we experience awe -- and why it matters | ||
Oliver Friedman approved English subtitles for How we experience awe -- and why it matters | ||
Oliver Friedman edited English subtitles for How we experience awe -- and why it matters | ||
Camille Martínez accepted English subtitles for How we experience awe -- and why it matters | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for How we experience awe -- and why it matters | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for How we experience awe -- and why it matters | ||
Ivana Korom edited English subtitles for How we experience awe -- and why it matters |