The Effects of Solitary Stargazing on Measures of Wellbeing

This study assigned 80 participants to one of four conditions: solitary stargazing (30 min, 3×/week), group stargazing, solitary nature walking (daytime), and a waitlist control. The intervention lasted 8 weeks, with pre/post measures of wellbeing (WHO-5), awe proneness (AWE-S), and perceived stress (PSS-10).

Solitary stargazing produced the largest improvements in wellbeing (mean WHO-5 increase of 11.2 points, p < 0.01) and awe proneness (mean AWE-S increase of 0.42 SD, p < 0.01), significantly outperforming both group stargazing and daytime nature walking. The solitude appears to be a key variable: participants in the solitary condition reported a greater sense of 'perspective shift' and reduced self-referential thinking.

Qualitative interviews revealed a consistent theme: the experience of being 'small but not diminished.' Participants described a paradoxical sense of both insignificance (in the face of cosmic scale) and belonging (as part of the whole). This combination — insignificance without alienation — may be a distinct psychological state with specific wellbeing benefits, and one that is difficult to access through other means.