Picture walking outside on a dark, cloudless evening. You look up to admire the stars 鈥� maybe even a planet, if you鈥檙e lucky 鈥� and a sense of wonder washes of you. New research from the 91探花 shows this might be more than a memorable experience: It could ultimately spark scientific curiosity and influence life choices.

, research scientist the 91探花Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), and , co-director of I-LABS and professor of psychology, recently showing a link between the ability to see the stars unblocked by light pollution and an interest in astronomy.

91探花News spoke with the authors about their study and its surprising implications for broadening access to science and education.

Where did the idea for this study come from?

Rodolfo Cortes Barragan: As psychologists, we know that changes to the environment can impact people鈥檚 behavior. Yet, the changes brought upon by light pollution 鈥� a hot topic in astronomy, biology and environmental science 鈥� have received little attention from the social sciences. We considered it important to examine how light pollution might affect the human mind, focusing on the consequences of light pollution for human emotions and scientific behavior.

Andrew Meltzoff: Astronomy often functions as a 鈥済ateway鈥� to science as a whole. People, including young children, look up and are enchanted by seeing the starry night sky. They feel a sense of wonder which triggers curiosity about themselves and the universe. Many famous astronomers have remarked that they got their start in science based on childhood experiences of wondering about the night sky. We decided to study these reports scientifically.

How do you define the feeling of wonder about the universe?

RCB: The feeling of 鈥渨onder鈥� is a particular conjunction of emotions. It involves awe and amazement. It involves curiosity 鈥� the desire to know more. It is joyful. It involves elation.

To examine wonder, we made use of a nationally representative survey conducted by the Pew Research Center of more than 35,000 U.S. residents. This survey included a question about peoples鈥� 鈥渨onder about the universe.鈥� We combined these results with previously reported detailed physical measurements of light pollution. We found that U.S. populations that live under low light pollution report feeling more 鈥渨onder about the universe.鈥� This was a specific relationship. Light pollution was not linked to other emotions that were assessed in the same Pew survey, but it was strongly connected to wonder.

Just as importantly, we found that 鈥渨onder about the universe鈥� was directly related to peoples鈥� behavioral interest in astronomy. We used a wide array of measures of interest in astronomy, including behaviors like using Google to search for 鈥渁stronomy,鈥� signing up to have one鈥檚 name sent to Mars aboard the Perseverance rover, and even applying to become a NASA astronaut. In other words, the data showed us that, in locations in the U.S. where light pollution is low, feelings of wonder about the universe and interest in astronomy are high. Features of the physical environment are linked to people鈥檚 psychological experience as well as their actual behavior.

Can you elaborate on the idea raised in the paper that light pollution is an equity issue?

RCB: We all want all children, and adults, to have the equal opportunity for inspiration and for science. But what our results are suggesting is that people within the U.S., depending on where they live, do not have equitable access to the dark night sky, which often promotes an interest in science. If you can鈥檛 experience something, it is not as easy to become motivated by it.

AM: If a child grows up in an environment where they don鈥檛 see the stars, they鈥檙e not as likely to ask childlike questions about them: 鈥淲hy do the stars twinkle?鈥� or 鈥淗ow many are there up there?鈥� It’s a powerful experience for a child to be able to see the Milky Way and the Big Dipper, but many children don鈥檛 have that opportunity anymore. Seeing the starry night sky may change kids鈥� behavior in a good way. For example, if a child can see the stars, they might go read up on astronomy or space exploration and begin to dream. Astronomy may indeed be a 鈥済ateway鈥� science that draws children, both boys and girls, into curiosity-driven programs and social clubs.

What鈥檚 the big picture you want to convey about this study?

RCB: We hope that our study inspires more research along these lines, and that this work combining psychology and astronomy will trigger the 鈥淚 wonder鈥� reflex in other scientists, prompting interdisciplinary work across the arts and sciences.

AM: This study brings together two wonders that have inspired scientists and poets over the ages 鈥� the heavens above and our human actions on earth. One is studied by astronomers and the other by psychologists. Can we connect the two? A childlike question to be sure, but one that motivates us to try to dig deeper and find out more.

This study was funded by Stanford University Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence (DARE) Doctoral Fellowship Program, the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Broadening Participation Postdoctoral Research Award and the Bezos Family Foundation.

For more information, Rodolfo Cortes Barragan at barragan@u.washington.edu and Andrew Meltzoff at meltzoff@uw.edu.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people who recognize the connections they share with others are more likely to wear a mask, follow health guidelines and help people, even at a potential cost to themselves, a new 91探花 study shows.

Indeed, an identification with all humanity, as opposed to identification with a geographic area like a country or town, predicts whether someone will engage in 鈥減rosocial鈥� behaviors particular to the pandemic, such as donating their own masks to a hospital or coming to the aid of a sick person.

The , published March 10 in PLOS ONE, is drawn from about 2,500 responses, from more than 80 countries, to an online, international study launched last April.

Researchers say the findings could have implications for public health messaging during the pandemic: Appealing to individuals鈥� deep sense of connectedness to others could, for example, encourage some people to get vaccinated, wear masks or follow other public health guidelines.

鈥淲e want to understand to what extent people feel connected with and identify with all humanity, and how that can be used to explain the individual differences in how people respond during the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� said author , a postdoctoral researcher at the 91探花Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, or I-LABS, who co-led the study with postdoctoral researcher at the Paul G. Allen School for Computer Science and Engineering.

In psychology, 鈥渋dentification with all humanity鈥� is a belief that can be measured and utilized in predicting behavior or informing policy or decision-making. Last spring, as governments around the world were imposing pandemic restrictions, a multidisciplinary team of 91探花researchers came together to study the implications of how people would respond to pandemic-related ethical dilemmas, and how those responses might be associated with various psychological beliefs.

Researchers designed an online study, providing different scenarios based in social psychology and game theory, for participants to consider. The team then made the study available in English and five other languages on the virtual lab , which co-author , an associate professor in the Allen School, created for conducting behavioral studies with people around the world.

The scenarios presented participants with situations that could arise during the pandemic and asked people to what extent they would:

• Follow the list of World Health Organization health guidelines (which mostly focused on social distancing and hygiene when the study was run between mid-April to mid-June)
• Donate masks of their family鈥檚 to a hospital short on masks
• Drive a person exhibiting obvious symptoms of COVID-19 to the hospital
• Go to a grocery store to buy food for a neighboring family
• Call an ambulance and wait with a sick person for it to arrive

In addition to demographic details and information about their local pandemic restrictions, such as stay-at-home orders, participants were asked questions to get at the psychology behind their responses: about their own felt identification with their local community, their nation and humanity, in general. For instance, participants were asked, 鈥淗ow much would you say you care (feel upset, want to help) when bad things happen to people all over the world?鈥�

Researchers found that an identification with 鈥渁ll humanity鈥� significantly predicted answers to the five scenarios, well above identifying with country or community, and after controlling for other variables such as gender, age or education level. Its effect was stronger than any other factor, said Barragan, and popped out as a highly significant predictor of people鈥檚 tendency to want to help others.

The authors noted that identifying with one鈥檚 country, in fact, came in a distant third, behind identification with humanity in general and one鈥檚 local community. Strong feelings toward one鈥檚 nation, nationalism, can lead to behavior and policies that favor some groups of people over others.

鈥淭here is variability in how people respond to the social aspects of the pandemic. Our research reveals that a crucial aspect of one鈥檚 world view 鈥� how much people feel connected to others they have never met 鈥� predicts people鈥檚 cooperation with public health measures and the altruism they feel toward others during the pandemic,鈥� said co-author , who is co-director of I-LABS and holds the Job and Gertrud Tamaki Endowed Chair in psychology.

Since last spring, of course, much has changed. More than 2.5 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19, vaccines are being administered, and guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, especially regarding masks, has evolved. If a new survey was launched today, Barragan said, the research group would like to include scenarios tuned to the current demands of the pandemic and the way it challenges us to care for others even while we maintain physical distancing.

While surveys, in general, can be prone to what鈥檚 known as self-serving bias 鈥� the participant answers in ways that they believe will make them 鈥渓ook good鈥� 鈥� researchers say that鈥檚 not evident here. They point to the sizeable differences between responses that identify with all humanity, and those that identify with community or country, and note there would be little reason for participants to deliberately emphasize one and not the others.

The project is part of a larger multidisciplinary effort by this same 91探花research team to bring together computer scientists and psychologists interested in decision-making in different cultural contexts, which could inform our understanding of human and machine learning.

An eventual aim of the study is to use tools from artificial intelligence research and online interactions with humans around the world to understand how one鈥檚 culture influences social and moral decision-making.

鈥淭his project is a wonderful example of how the tools of computer science can be combined with psychological science to understand human moral behaviors, revealing new information for the public good,鈥� said co-author , the Hwang Endowed Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the UW.

For COVID-19 and future humanitarian crises, the ethical dilemmas presented in the study can offer insight into what propels people to help, which can, in turn, inform policy and outreach.

鈥淲hile it is true that many people don鈥檛 seem to be exhibiting helpful behaviors during this pandemic, what our study shows is that there are specific characteristics that predict who is especially likely to engage in such behavior,鈥� Barragan said. 鈥淔uture work could help people to feel a stronger connection to others, and this could promote more helpful behavior during pandemics.鈥�

Additional co-authors were Koosha Khalvati, a doctoral student in the Allen School and Rechele Brooks, a research scientist with I-LABS.

The study was funded by the UW, the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

For more information, contact Barragan at barragan@uw.edu or Meltzoff at meltzoff@uw.edu.

New research by the 91探花鈥檚 Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, or I-LABS, finds that altruism may begin in infancy. In a study of nearly 100 19-month-olds, researchers found that children, even when hungry, gave a tasty snack to a stranger in need. The findings not only show that infants engage in altruistic behavior, but also suggest that early social experiences can shape altruism.

Read the full story here.

For more information, contact聽barragan@uw.edu听辞谤听meltzoff@uw.edu.