This is Hidden Brain.
I'm Shankar Vedanta.
Thomas Hood was a 19th century English poet known for his elegant, often melancholy verse.
His 1826 poem, I Remember, I Remember, captures a feeling
that is familiar to many adults, especially its wistful last lines.
I remember, I remember, the fir trees dark and high.
I used to think their slender tops were close against the sky.
It was a childish ignorance,
but now tis little joy to know I'm farther off from heaven than when I was a boy.
Thomas Hood's poem gestures to the reality that as grown-ups,
many of us lack the effortless sense of connection and awe that we felt as kids.
Was that intimate bond with the universe merely an illusion of childhood,
or a real measurable human capacity that we can access as grown-ups?
Researchers are investigating the ways that we can preserve
or revive the sense of being close to the sky that Thomas Hood so tenderly evoked.
This week on Hidden Brain, we explore what it means to feel closer to heaven
and the value of looking for transcendence in our busy, bustling lives.
Support for Hidden Brain comes from Lily.
On this show, it's fascinating to discuss the unseen forces shaping the human brain.
Consider conditions like Alzheimer's disease,