Waking Up Your Spiritual Brain: Part 1

This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedanta. Thomas Hood was a nineteenth century English poet known for his elegant, often melancholy verse. His eighteen twenty six poem, I remember, I remember, captures a feeling that is familiar to many adults, especially its wistful last lines. I remember, I remember the fir trees dark and high. I used to think their slender tops were close against the sky. It was a childish ignorance, but now there's little joy to know I'm farther off from heaven than when I was a boy. Thomas Hood's poem gestures to the reality that as grown ups, many of us lack the effortless sense of connection and awe that we felt as kids. Was that intimate bond with the universe merely an illusion of childhood or a real measurable human capacity that we can access as grown ups? Researchers are investigating the ways that we can preserve or revive the sense of being close to the sky that Thomas Hood so tenderly evoked. This week on Hidden Brain, we explore what it means to feel closer to heaven and the value of looking for transcendence in our busy, bustling lives. Support for Hidden Brain comes from Lily. On this show, it's fascinating to discuss the unseen forces shaping the human brain. Consider conditions like Alzheimer's disease, where changes in the brain may develop up to twenty years before noticing symptoms. Talk to your doctor to understand your potential risk factors for dementia due to Alzheimer's disease and ask for a cognitive assessment. Visit brainhealthmatters.com for more information and resources. Support for Hidden Brain comes from The Great Take presented by Brookdale Senior Living. What should you want to find in a good senior living community? No matter how old you are, relationships, hobbies, and a sense of belonging are important. Hosts MB and Susie unpack the process of choosing a senior living community with someone who's lived it. Hear about Mary's journey to senior living on episode 23 of The Great Take wherever you listen to podcasts. Support for Hidden Brand comes from LinkedIn. Running a small business means every hire matters. A bad hire can cost you time, money, and momentum. A good hire, they can help grow your business. LinkedIn's new hiring pro screens candidates for you. So instead of sorting through applicants, you spend time talking to only the right ones. Get started by posting your job for free at linkedin.com/hb. Terms and conditions apply. These days, we are encouraged and even exhorted to optimize every aspect of our lives, our bodies, our relationships, our productivity. But what about the parts of us that yearn for meaning, for understanding, for wisdom? Those aspects of ourselves are often ignored in our tireless pursuit of worldly rewards. At Columbia University, psychologist Lisa Miller studies the science of transcendence. Lisa Miller, welcome to Hidden Brain. I'm so grateful to be here. I appreciate so much your show, the way you go deeper, the way you open …