“The great thing about the eclipse is that it fits our ever-shrinking attention span. Totality lasts only a few minutes,” said Roberta Garner, a sociologist at DePaul University. (DePaul University/Katelynn Moxon)CHICAGO — The upcoming total solar eclipse on Aug. 21 is creating a buzz across America, in part due to humans wanting to experience events.
“This event is the happy convergence of two big trends — a growing interest in science and the passion for having exciting experiences,” said Roberta Garner, a sociologist at DePaul University.
“Psychologists have known for some time that experiences are more important than possessions for human happiness but sociologists, economists and researchers in marketing have found that the urge to have experiences — and to purchase experiences — has greatly accelerated with the millennials. People don't want to miss out on experiences and events — and social media and the internet are a way of sharing the buzz,” she said.
“The science hook with a solar eclipse keeps children interested in science and nature. Science has become important to many more people than ever before as young people are receiving a better science education, the nation is emphasizing STEM careers, and science controversies are making headlines,” Garner noted.
“And, the great thing about the eclipse is that it fits our ever-shrinking attention span. Totality lasts only a few minutes,” she added.
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Source:
Roberta Garner
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Carol Hughes
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