[bright subtle music] - So, we've done some studies where we actually put people, surround them with big trees, and then studied what that does to them.

They report having this experience of awe or this experience of wonder, and as a result, they feel insignificant, and it feels so good.

And I think that's a really interesting puzzle.

What is it about the human mind that so cherishes experiences that make it feel less important?

In the emerging neuro-scientific understanding of awe, what we're seeing is decreased activation in the self-reflective parts of the brain, suggesting that awe is associated with an increased attention to the outside environment.

There's a lot about awe that we don't know, but at this point we know that awe and time in nature has a lot of really beneficial effects.

[bright subtle music] It's been linked to reduced inflammatory cytokines, which are a part of the stress and inflammation response in humans.

It slows the heart rate down and gets people to experience a sense of calmness and contentment.

It quiets that buzzing of stressors that people carry around with them on a daily basis and reminds you of the bigger, more complex things in the world, like nature, that you're an inherent, but small part of.

[bright subtle music] [stream trickling] We also found that having people spend just 60 seconds looking up at big trees brought about this experience of awe, and as a result, made them more compassionate, more ethical, more mindful of others' needs, less likely to prioritize their own.

What if you did 60 seconds of awe or time in trees a day?

What would that do?