Counteracting Your Default Mode Network
“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
Counteracting Your Default Mode Network
Similar to the default self inside the brain, there is something called the default mode network (DMN). The DMN refers to regions in the cortex that are engaged when processing information from an egocentric point of view (Hamilton et al., 2015). When left unchecked, the DMN can create thought patterns that keep a person glum, agitated, or worried continually (Davis, 2021). Everyone has a DMN, and when their default settings are on, it can look like having patterns of fret or regret on repeat being played in one’s mind (Davis, 2021). The DMN has its purposes: fret can allow one to prepare for the future, and regret can help one to make meaning of the past and not make the same mistake again. However, when these thought patterns become the main messages in our brain, they can turn from helpful to detrimental. Luckily, studies have tracked that experiencing awe allows one to be open-minded and wonder-filled, consequently lowering activation in parts of the brain related to the DMN (Guan et al., 2018; Van Elk et al., 2019). Therefore, both awe and wonder help quiet down the DMN. The general pattern of wonder involves (1) experiencing vastness of any kind and mystery, (2) being followed by the vanishing of self and being related to something larger, and (3) as the default self fades, the mind opens and can engage in wonder (Keltner, 2023).