Experiencing Awe

Zoo and aquarium professionals go to work every day believing that they can make a positive difference for animals, both in human care and in the wild.  Zoo and aquarium leaders claim that their facilities improve their communities, both through direct and indirect economic impact, as well as by providing recreational and educational opportunities for the communities that they serve.  These are all arguments that I've heard (and subscribed to) for years.


But can a visit to a zoo or an aquarium have the potential to make the visitor a better person?  That's a new one for me.


Up until this morning, I had no idea that "Awe Researcher" was a career that someone did.  It sounds fun, like you would just get to continue putting yourself in awesome situations to see what happens, but that's probably not how it works.  Anyway, here is an article from one such researcher, detailing how the sorts of experiences that a visitor might have at a zoo, or any other number of places, really, can make a person's life better.

The Secret of Connection? Experiencing Awe

"Even just remembering an experience of awe makes people measurably kinder, happier, and more generous."