Are you a sky lover? You might be a Skychologist!

Okay I tried really hard for a cheeky pun there but Skychology is really a thing! Paul Conway of Successful Humans describes this ‘punny’ word as a field of research in improving your physical and mental wellbeing. The theory is underpinned by Positive Psychology, and Conway’s own research aims to establish Skychology as a Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI) that coaches and others in the wellbeing industry can tap into. I gave this intervention a go (and have been doing so for as long as I can remember being a sky-lover) and will offer you the lowdown on whether it’s an intervention that I RATE or SLATE!

What is Positive Psychology?

This is the study of the positive aspects of what it means to be human, including joy, psychological wellbeing, and contentment. Positive Psychology has been making strides as a fairly new discipline and is making fast pace on various areas of society including healthcare, education, and the corporate world to name a few. By focusing on the strengths and positive aspects of life, it holds that people can improve their own wellbeing as well as others’.

How does Skychology work?

Conway describes Skychology as the scientific endeavour to understand and operationalise interactions with the sky to enhance wellbeing. It’s considered different to being in green or blue spaces (how many of us love an unplugged ‘nature getaway’?!) as unlike those spaces, the sky is available to everyone and is ‘always on’, unbound by geography or urbanisation.

Physiological changes and alterations to brain activity may occur when looking up at the sky as a therapeutic activity. Research has shown that being in nature can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with stress reduction.

Skychology also incites feelings of awe, often described as a sense of wonder or deep admiration in the face of something majestic. We can often feel this at a piece of music, art, or even beautiful scenery (side note, when was the last time you felt awe at something? How do you experience awe? Does it make your eyes well up or do you let out a big sigh? Remember, we’re all different in how we feel awe.)

What are the benefits of experience awe?

less stress
feeling more connected to the world and others/ more prosocial behaviours
better immune system functioning
increased creativity

What did Conway’s participants find?

The sky was a source of constant, nurturing presence during a time of personal difficulty and ambiguity
Weather reflects emotions. Just like human emotions fluctuate, so too does the sky
Discussing the importance of the sky and the intervention with other people was important
Incites feelings of freedom
Feeling humbled and grounded
Amazement/awe – “it always changes, but it never changes”

How do you do the intervention?

Set the intention; shift your perspective to one where you are mindfully going to be receptive of what the sky has to offer. Take a couple of deep breaths
Embrace skychology regardless of the weather; whether its blazing sunshine, a starlit night, dramatic clouds, they changing nature of the sky can create feelings of awe
Be curious– allow questions to enter your mind as you observe the changes. Allow any thoughts to come up and then let them pass on.
Reflect on your relationship with the sky, does it reflect what you’re feeling or is it totally different?
Notice how you feel after some time. How is your heart rate? What is your breathing like? How do you feel?

Our thoughts and questions

What if you suffer from vertigo?! (To be fair, Conway did account for this in his IPA study)
I’ve just come back from a backpacking trip in India and from afar I saw the famous Mumbai, Dharavi slums, an area overpopulated with 700,000 people, where the low-rise building styles and narrow street structures make Dharavi very confined. I wonder how much of the sky is available to these people? Or how comforting this vast sky is when you think about how our lives are considerably different to each other despite us sharing the same sky?
I suppose that said, it can also offer a message of hope too depending on how you look at it. We all do share the same sky…
What about those places with sky pollution? I’m not sure I totally agree that the ‘sky is always on’ – some places are so heavily affected by urbanisation and pollution that the haze can cause a physical barrier to seeing the sky. (again, my time in North India was testament to this).
What about those for whom the sky has been destructive? Thunderstorms and floods that destroy homes? A lot of people associate the sky with celestial properties and spiritual abodes, a place where God resides and heaven is the ultimate destination. While this can incite feelings of hope and awe, can it also incite feelings of anger, upset, and pain when one looks up at the sky towards God in helpless confusion?
Is this particularly new or ground-breaking? Probably not, the concept of ‘muraqabah’ has been long practised in many Sufi traditions whereby in Ancient Arabic, it was a term used to describe diligence and observation over the changes of any given thing, and was even the term given to one who would watch the stars in the night sky to help map out the terrain and journey ahead. (That said, I’m a believer that there are as many paths to goodness on this planet, as there are people). I just hope the self-help gurus of the West don’t try and claim this one as their own discovery without accrediting that ‘a discovery’ as such hasn’t been made. Kudos to Conway for bringing this one to the limelight though in a society where we’re can easily get trapped in the urban jungles of city working/living. The pandemic lockdowns may have helped that slightly, but are we now trapped in the WFH jungles as well where we’re barely stepping away from our computers?! The only difference is we’re maybe in our PJs and stroking our cats while working so skychology could be a very welcome and useful intervention!

RATE OR SLATE?

It’s a well-intentioned intervention and the positive psychologist in me is a total sucker for the ‘one sky, one love, one humanity’ principles when I’m thinking about my relationship with the sky because I can’t help but also think about my relationship with others who share the sky with me. The cynic in me has contentions about how to use the PPI with the above barriers in mind without being too leading as a practitioner?! Perhaps the intervention has less impact on prosocial behaviours/feelings and is much more of one to do with personal growth and healing.

That said, I can see the sky is being painted some beautiful hues of red and pink as the sun sets, so I’m off to romanticise my life by taking a walk and being grateful that I have the privilege to enjoy this beauty. Overall, this is a PPI that I RATE and therefore, if you have access to a small portion of the sky today, I invite you to come and enjoy it’s vastness and humbling powers. As Conway summarises, “looking up at the sky is an ordinary activity, and an extraordinary experience.” And one that’s well within your gaze dear reader…will you give it a go?

Listen to Conway guide you through the intervention here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B94NLJZALCy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_lin