Beauty and wonder of science boosts researchers’ well-being

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between the experience of beauty and wonder in scientific work and its impact on researchers' well-being, job satisfaction, and mental health. It touches on various aspects including gender and age biases in experiences of burnout and psychological distress among postgraduate students, as well as broader implications for morale and funding in academia.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that experiencing beauty and wonder in science correlates with higher job satisfaction and better mental health, as highlighted by a survey from Brandon Vaidyanathan and colleagues.
  • Concerns are raised about gender and age biases, with women reporting higher levels of burnout and postgraduate students experiencing significant psychological distress.
  • One participant reflects on the beauty found in biological sciences, suggesting that exposure to beauty in various fields could similarly enhance job satisfaction.
  • Another participant shares personal experiences of job satisfaction in software engineering, emphasizing the moral value of choosing projects that contribute positively to society.
  • Discussions include the challenges faced by women in STEM, including issues of sexual exploitation and the need for recognition in a male-dominated environment.
  • There is a suggestion that while beauty and awe can enhance satisfaction, they may not address deeper systemic issues affecting researchers' well-being.
  • Participants express differing views on the social dynamics in scientific environments, particularly regarding gender roles and socialization from a young age.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the impact of beauty on job satisfaction and mental health, with some agreeing on its positive effects while others emphasize that it does not mitigate all challenges faced by researchers. There is no consensus on the extent of these effects or the underlying issues affecting different demographics.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the potential biases in the survey results, the subjective nature of beauty and its appreciation in different scientific fields, and the unresolved complexities surrounding gender and age-related challenges in academia.

Melbourne Guy
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According to a survey by Brandon Vaidyanathan and colleagues at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC, scientists’ ability to experience wonder, awe, and beauty in their work is associated with higher levels of job satisfaction and better mental health.

'Beauty' is noted occasionally in posts I've seen on PF, particularly regarding physics theories and mathematical equations, but the aspect of this survey that worried me the most is that the feeling of well-being is gender and age biased:

Women reported higher levels of burnout than men, and 25% of postgraduate students reported serious levels of psychological distress

I often listen to ABC Radio's The Science Show podcast (that's the Down Under ABC, BTW, not the USA ABC 😁) and Robyn Williams, the host, often laments the state of postgraduate funding and morale in our university sector. It makes me wonder whether we're pulling the rug up behind us on the wonders of technology that have led to the current levels of prosperity.

But maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy, what's the informed view in the PF room?
 
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Besides the beauty in theories and equations, in biology (where I did my grad school work), there is much beauty that can be appreciated in the physical form and function of things biological. In a sense, it is all over the place. What I was working on (development (or embryology) and the structure and function of simple animals) generates lots of beautiful pictures almost daily.

If this boosts job satisfaction and better mental health, the same benefits might be expected of those working on something like TMZ (Thirty Mile Zone, around Hollywood I guess, lots of pretty people) should have the similar benefits of exposure to "beauty".

I can attest to the negatives you mention based on funding and morale. Had the same problems in grad school. We eventually were planning on going on strike for pay equal to other departments (still not good), but then the school found some more money and increased our pay.
It seems that grad students often get lower pay than equivalent positions in industry might, but there is the upside getting out with a degree and the opportunities that could go with it.

Recognition for efforts varied in a more individualistic manner, depending on which lab people were in and how involved their research was with other ongoing projects.

Two people committed suicide there (both male). One of them never had a realistic idea of what it was going to be like or their future prospects could be expected to be. His problems, in my mind, went beyond just the state of employment issues.

Males and female face distinct challenges. Issues of sexual exploitation, for example, were almost exclusively female.

Some jobs are much more social than most scientific endeavors. Some appreciate this more than others. This could be another source of unhappiness.

"Beauty and awe" are not going to make up for all of these issues in all cases.
 
I have experienced intense satisfaction and increased confidence in my abilities leaving the jobsite after successfully launching integrated systems as a software engineer. That I chose projects in flight safety over better paying projects in weapons development, added to my satisfaction and perceived moral value to society.

I have always strived to promote and support women working in STEM, learning much from intelligent women over my career. Many vital aspects of large software engineering projects lend themselves to 'gentle yin', such as cooperation, module integration and group code inspections. Women are often both braver and more focused than male counterparts.
 
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BillTre said:
If this boosts job satisfaction and better mental health, the same benefits might be expected of those working on something like TMZ (Thirty Mile Zone, around Hollywood I guess, lots of pretty people) should have the similar benefits of exposure to "beauty".
I'm assuming that's somewhat tongue in cheek, @BillTre, but taking it at face value, I guess the 'beauty' in this sense is more the internalization of the concept, or the internal expression of it, at least.

BillTre said:
"Beauty and awe" are not going to make up for all of these issues in all cases.
Interestingly, the survey suggests that once you're established in two disciplines - physics and biology - with these issues behind you, there is considerable satisfaction to be gained. Breaking through the sexism and ageism (youth-ism?) is the issue, of course.

Klystron said:
Women are often both braver and more focused than male counterparts.
Perhaps because they are forced to be, @Klystron? This is a blind spot for me, I remarked to my team this morning that teenage boys seem less together in front of house retail than girls of the same age, based on the EFTPOS Visa connection in our supermarket failing this weekend, causing chaos in the self-serve aisles. The immediate response from one of my female team members was, "That's because boys are not socialised from birth to look after people." It was an interesting observation that would not have occurred to me 🤔