Q&A: UW researchers examine link between light pollution and interest in astronomy

Picture walking outside on a dark, cloudless evening. You look up to admire the stars — maybe even a planet, if you’re lucky — and a sense of wonder washes of you. New research from the University of Washington shows this might be more than a memorable experience: It could ultimately spark scientific curiosity and influence life choices.

Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, research scientist the UW Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), and Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of I-LABS and professor of psychology, recently co-authored a study in Nature Scientific Reports showing a link between the ability to see the stars unblocked by light pollution and an interest in astronomy.

UW News spoke with the authors about their study and its surprising implications for broadening access to science and education.

Where did the idea for this study come from?

Rodolfo Cortes Barragan: As psychologists, we know that changes to the environment can impact people’s behavior. Yet, the changes brought upon by light pollution — a hot topic in astronomy, biology and environmental science — have received little attention from the social sciences. We considered it important to examine how light pollution might affect the human mind, focusing on the consequences of light pollution for human emotions and scientific behavior.

Andrew Meltzoff: Astronomy often functions as a “gateway” to science as a whole. People, including young children, look up and are enchanted by seeing the starry night sky. They feel a sense of wonder which triggers curiosity about themselves and the universe. Many famous astronomers have remarked that they got their start in science based on childhood experiences of wondering about the night sky. We decided to study these reports scientifically.

How do you define the feeling of wonder about the universe?

RCB: The feeling of “wonder” is a particular conjunction of emotions. It involves awe and amazement. It involves curiosity — the desire to know more. It is joyful. It involves elation.

To examine wonder, we made use of a nationally representative survey conducted by the Pew Research Center of more than 35,000 U.S. residents. This survey included a question about peoples’ “wonder about the universe.” We combined these results with previously reported detailed physical measurements of light pollution. We found that U.S. populations that live under low light pollution report feeling more “wonder about the universe.” This was a specific relationship. Light pollution was not linked to other emotions that were assessed in the same Pew survey, but it was strongly connected to wonder.

Just as importantly, we found that “wonder about the universe” was directly related to peoples’ behavioral interest in astronomy. We used a wide array of measures of interest in astronomy, including behaviors like using Google to search for “astronomy,” signing up to have one’s name sent to Mars aboard the Perseverance rover, and even applying to become a NASA astronaut. In other words, the data showed us that, in locations in the U.S. where light pollution is low, feelings of wonder about the universe and interest in astronomy are high. Features of the physical environment are linked to people’s psychological experience as well as their actual behavior.

Can you elaborate on the idea raised in the paper that light pollution is an equity issue?

RCB: We all want all children, and adults, to have the equal opportunity for inspiration and for science. But what our results are suggesting is that people within the U.S., depending on where they live, do not have equitable access to the dark night sky, which often promotes an interest in science. If you can’t experience something, it is not as easy to become motivated by it.

AM: If a child grows up in an environment where they don’t see the stars, they’re not as likely to ask childlike questions about them: “Why do the stars twinkle?” or “How many are there up there?” It's a powerful experience for a child to be able to see the Milky Way and the Big Dipper, but many children don’t have that opportunity anymore. Seeing the starry night sky may change kids’ behavior in a good way. For example, if a child can see the stars, they might go read up on astronomy or space exploration and begin to dream. Astronomy may indeed be a “gateway” science that draws children, both boys and girls, into curiosity-driven programs and social clubs.

What’s the big picture you want to convey about this study?

RCB: We hope that our study inspires more research along these lines, and that this work combining psychology and astronomy will trigger the “I wonder” reflex in other scientists, prompting interdisciplinary work across the arts and sciences.

AM: This study brings together two wonders that have inspired scientists and poets over the ages — the heavens above and our human actions on earth. One is studied by astronomers and the other by psychologists. Can we connect the two? A childlike question to be sure, but one that motivates us to try to dig deeper and find out more.

This study was funded by Stanford University Diversifying Academia, Recruiting Excellence (DARE) Doctoral Fellowship Program, the National Science Foundation’s Broadening Participation Postdoctoral Research Award and the Bezos Family Foundation.

For more information, Rodolfo Cortes Barragan at barragan@u.washington.edu and Andrew Meltzoff at meltzoff@uw.edu.