Human Resources’ Employee Learning and Engagement and Vanderbilt Work/Life Connections will present “A Microlearning Series on Positive Psychology: Awe” on Monday, Jan. 31, from 11:30 a.m. to noon CT.
Session description
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: His eyes are closed.”
–Albert Einstein
Imagine looking up at the stars in the night sky, watching and listening to your favorite artist perform, watching the sun set at Radnor Lake, or experiencing artwork at the Fine Arts Gallery. What did you feel? Maybe a sense of wonder, vastness and awe.
Awe is defined as “the feeling we get in the presence of something vast that challenges our understanding of the world” (Greater Good Science Center). In this session, we’ll share common sources of awe and the physiological and psychological effects of awe, particularly on well-being, self-interest and collective connection. Then we’ll create space to explore how we can infuse awe into our daily lives, both at work and beyond.
The session is part of “Awe, Gratitude, Mindfulness, Connectedness and Self-compassion in our Daily Lives: A Microlearning Series on Positive Psychology.” Grounded in positive psychology research, this micro-learning series draws resources and inspiration from the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California–Berkeley, Jon Kabat-Zinn (University of Massachusetts Medical School), Dr. Kristin Neff (University of Texas at Austin) and more. Each session will focus on one aspect of positive psychology.
Employees are invited to join one, two, three, four or all five of the 30-minute learning experiences. Each experience will involve research highlights, practical strategies and an opportunity to share personal experiences and create meaning. The series will culminate with co-creation of a shared one-hour experience centered around awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connection, self-compassion and savoring.
The series will explore resources and cultivate conversations in a collaborative Teams workspace—a space to connect and share experiences, learnings and successes, infusing awe, gratitude, mindfulness, connectedness and self-compassion into daily life. To assist employees in considering the influence of their learning and to assist ELE in measuring the impact of the series, participants will be invited to complete a short survey on needs satisfaction at work and burnout prior to the learning series as well as two months after the series concludes.
Recorded sessions will be available within Oracle Learn the day following the live session.
The series is designed and co-hosted by Heather Kamper, LCSW (Work/Life Connections) and Krista Vaught (Employee Learning and Engagement).
To enroll in any learning experience, please visit the links above or on our website, or search for “ELE” on SkyVU/Oracle under Learning. Please note that workshops are offered at no cost to VU employees.