Awe And Beauty Are Good For Your Health

The beauty of a natural landscape or a Mozart concerto for strings apparently gives us more than a momentary thrill. According to researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, it’s good for our health. How do they know? A Berkeley news release reports that scientists have linked positive emotions – especially the awe we feel when touched by the beauty of nature, art and spirituality – with lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, proteins that signal the immune system to work harder. In two experiments, more than 200 people were asked to report on a given day the extent to which they had experienced such positive emotions as amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, joy, love and pride. Researchers then took samples of gum and cheek tissue, which they used to measure the amount of cytokine, Interleukin 6, a marker of inflammation. The envelope please…The researchers found that those people who experienced more of these positive emotions, especially awe, wonder and amazement, had the lowest levels. Why is that good? Because elevated cytokines have been tied to autoimmune diseases and depression.  Researchers believe that by signaling the brain to produce inflammatory molecules, cytokines can block key hormones and neurotransmitters – such as serotonin and dopamine – that control moods, appetite, sleep and memory. OK, now the tough question: which came first–the low cytokines or the positive feelings? Hmm. More research is needed.