Key points

A brain scan study explored how art, nature, and meditation affect the mind.

Nature calmed stress circuits while sharpening visual processing.

Moments of awe may help the brain reset, offering new ways to support mental health.

The Brain in Conversation with the Infinite

There are moments when the world seems to fall away: the hush of a forest after rain, the sweep of a symphony, the infinite sprawl of stars overhead. Poets call it awe . Mystics call it transcendence. Neuroscience, at last, is beginning to map what happens in the brain.

To explore this, researchers from UCLA studied nine healthy adults using a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner while immersed in three different experiences: AI -generated art, sweeping scenes of nature, and cosmic imagery d

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