© Subhadeepmanna | Dreamstime.com – Tourists At Chicago Millennium Park Photo
On a very hot, muggy day in Chicago, I stood with Professor in Millennial Park looking at the Cloud Gate sculpture. We were surrounded by really happy folks having a wonderful time. When I asked Professor for his thoughts about the sculpture, he smiled a big smile. No words, just that special twinkle in his eyes when he is asking me to find my own words – to read the chi and tell him what I think. I just gave him a big hug, and then took lots of pictures of happy faces in the park that day. No words needed.
The sculpture was created by Anish Kapoor and is one of Chicago’s prime tourist destinations. Everyone seems happy to see it. Researchers are now telling us that it has attributes that make people nearby feel comfortable. I am hearing Professor’s whispers.
The Bean is an enormous gently undulating form. There are many scientific studies that have shown that being around curvy things is generally comforting.
The Bean is also a huge mirror, and researchers are also telling us that we behave better when we can see ourselves in mirrors. A student once asked Professor why his client was resisting the placement of any mirror, anywhere. Professor asked if the man was hiding something, something he did not want to face. “A mirror reflects who you are. If you have the courage to look, you have won the greatest battle. You have solved 99 percent of the problem.”
It seems that science is on the same page. Reading the work of Wiekens and Stapel, I found that we are more likely to follow social norms and behave as we know we should when we can see ourselves. One group of researchers placed a mirror above a public trash can and found that it significantly reduced nearby littering.
Looking in a mirror can change us – our chi and our actions. Professor, I’m better understanding your smile on that warm, marvelous day in Chicago.
In Chicago? Visit the Bean.
Submitted by Katherine