E-IPER Dissertation Defense: Anaïs Voşki

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Please join us for an E-IPER dissertation defense by Anaïs Voşki: "From the ocean floor to outer space: Awe and the overview effect as pathways to pro-environmental psychological and behavioral change."

In-person: Y2E2 299

Virtual: Zoom webinar (passcode: 602030)

ABSTRACT

International consensus affirms that addressing the global environmental crisis requires transformative shifts in values and practices that center the fundamental interconnectedness between humans and nature, yet scalable psychological pathways toward such shifts remain elusive. Self-transcendent experiences—mental states characterized by reduced self-focus and increased connectedness beyond the self, such as awe, psychedelic, and peak experiences—offer one potential pathway. The overview effect, defined as the profound psychological shift reported by astronauts when viewing Earth from space, offers an exemplary case with both transformative potential and a distinctive pro-environmental profile. Beyond awe, many astronauts report transformed perceptions of Earth’s beauty, fragility, and value, as well as an enduring sense of ‘planetary interconnectedness,’ meaning a sense of being interlinked with the entire planet’s biosphere, including humanity and nature. Yet, within the rapidly closing window to meet global climate and biodiversity targets, only a fortunate few will ever view the Earth from space firsthand. This raises two related questions: Might virtual reality (VR) offer an opportunity to recreate the overview effect on Earth, and what might a phenomenologically faithful recreation require?

Across two randomized controlled experiments and a mixed methods systematic review, this dissertation addresses foundational gaps in overview effect research. It develops a systematic evidence base for how the overview effect is conceptualized and operationalized and tests the possibilities and limits of recreating it through VR. Chapter 1 provides the proof of concept for underwater VR as a means of amplifying pro-environmental emotional and behavioral responses, supporting its subsequent test in Chapter 3 as a microgravity analogue. Chapter 2 details findings of the systematic evidence synthesis, clarifying the phenomenon’s current conceptual and empirical boundaries. Chapter 3 extends the overview effect’s experimental operationalization beyond awe to include Earth perceptions and planetary interconnectedness, finding that underwater VR and a novel mindfulness-based attentional priming each amplified awe intensity without corresponding amplification in either Earth-related dimension. Together, these studies position Earth-based recreation of the overview effect as an unresolved question requiring both further conceptual clarification and a more rigorous evidence base. This research also provides a foundation for investigating how experiences with the potential for psychological transformation, such as the overview effect, may develop into enduring changes in how people perceive, relate to, and act toward the Earth.