The Overview Effect and Dr Annahita's Research 

During my search for a doctoral research topic I came across the work of Frank White (2014/1987) who coined the term the ‘Overview Effect’ (OE) and wrote a book with the same name. Like a magnet I was drawn to this topic. White describes the OE as:

“A cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts and cosmonauts during space flight, often while viewing the Earth from orbit, in transit between the Earth and the moon, or from the lunar surface. It refers to the experience of...Earth in space, a tiny, fragile ball of life, hanging in a void, shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. Some common aspects of it are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment” (White, 2014).

In his book, White conducts journalistic style interviews with 29 astronauts and details personal accounts of their experience of the OE (White, 2014). The astronauts in the book reported this feeling of oneness with the world, nature, and humanity, particularly during the moments they see Earth from space. I directly contacted Frank White to inquire if he could help recruit participants. He kindly agreed and with this in mind, I felt I could narrow down the group of participants to astronauts and the phenomenon of seeing Earth from space. This is how my research on astronauts’ experiences of Earth gazing transpired. I contacted Frank White, who kindly agreed to help me recruit participants, and as they say the rest is history.

I Interviewed seven enigmatic and wise NASA astronauts, and their stories of space travel and earth gazing deeply impacted me. Three main themes emerged from my interview: 1) Deeply Impactful Perceptions of Earth, 2) Profound and Unexpected Emotional Impact and, 3) A Space Odyssey. The first theme describes the initial aesthetic observations and the dynamic interaction with the natural world. The second theme describes the emotive impact and noetic contemplation that took place. The final theme represents the embodiment of the experience post-flight. It seems that Earth gazing can strengthen our connection to nature and life, elicit awe, gratitude, humility, and reverence, and enable a sense of social cohesion. The most prominent aspects of the astronauts’ reported experiences in my study included:

1. Appreciation of beauty and fragility of Earth/nature

2. Awe and wonder (including reverence, humility and gratitude)

3. Guilt, uncertainty and anticipated loss in relation to Earth and damage caused

4. Increased sense of connection to other people, nature, and Earth (spirituality and universalism)

5. A sense of solidarity with other people, and astronauts and cosmonauts.

The conversations I had imbued my life with a stronger connection to earth and I am thankful to my research participants and Frank White for their time and wisdom.

The benefits of connecting with nature in a meaningful way has been evidenced by past research. Less than six hundred people have had the privilege of seeing Earth from above its atmosphere. These individuals have had the opportunity to encounter a drastically different perspective of life, nature, the planet, and the cosmos. Journals, interviews, and autobiographies of astronauts have highlighted how a significant number of space travellers report post mission they felt a deep sense of interconnection with all life, have come to see themselves and their world differently, and have returned to Earth with a renewed sense of purpose (Gallagher et al., 2015; White, 2014; Yaden et al., 2016). Earth gazing then, can be considered an atypical method of engaging with the natural environment, but one that still offers demonstrable and even enhanced benefits in terms of feelings of wellbeing and connectedness. However, past research has paid little attention to the therapeutic value of extraordinary experiences such as Earth gazing. If extraordinary and awe-inducing natural environments can promote or enhance wellbeing then it is important to consider how they can be used in meaningful and novel ways to elicit positive change.

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Increasingly more people are looking to harness the therapeutic value of the Overview Effect for societal good. Our Virtual Reality Overview Effect (VROE) project aims to do just this. With six years’ experience and knowledge behind us, I believe me and my team at VROE are placed in a unique position to provide captivating evidence-based and ethical virtual reality programmes that can target critical mental health issues in United Kingdom and hopefully worldwide. Currently we are in the design and initiation process of the project. Our pilot programme will be ready by summer 2020 and we are working hard to bring something breath-taking and magical to our customers. Of course, research and development will be at the core of what we do, and along the way we will gather data and feedback in order to continuously improve our workshops and virtual reality programmes.

We can’t wait to see some of you there, please do get in touch with us with any feedback, to ask us questions or to add your expression of interest for our up-coming events.