upworthy

meditation

Contestants compete quietly in the 2025 Han River Space-Out Competition.

With meditation on the rise, slowing down has never seemed so attractive. But what if you took it to the next level? Imagine this: sitting perfectly quiet for 90 minutes straight (the length of a typical movie): no talking, no laughing, no looking at your phone, and definitely no falling asleep. Sounds pretty difficult, right? Now, imagine being surrounded by nearly 100 competitors while attempting this. What are you competing at, you ask? Doing absolutely nothing.

Welcome to the serene, powerful world of “space-out competitions,” a fascinating phenomenon that began in South Korea, and is now sweeping across Asia—and beyond.



What exactly is a space-out competition?

The concept is simple: participants gather in a public space, often sitting on yoga mats, and compete against each other by doing nothing for 90 minutes. Competitors are free to move around and change positions but be warned: although lying on your back is comfortable, it could lead to falling asleep, which warrants immediate disqualification. So does playing music, talking, or laughing.

If players need to use the bathroom, they can raise a colored card to be excused. Judges roam around, carefully monitoring the contestants. At the end of the 90 minutes, the judges choose the ten competitors who seemed the most peaceful. Of those ten, the person whose heart rate graph shows the steadiest downward trend is crowned the winner.


lying down, eyes closed, relaxed, spacing out, grassSpace-out competitions were created to combat burn-out and an overstimulating world. Photo credit: Canva

“It’s the quietest competition in the world,” says the founder of South Korea’s space-out competition, a visual artist who goes by the pseudonym, Woopsyang. In 2014, she was inspired to create the competition after suffering severe burnout, telling CNN, “I wondered why I was so anxious about doing nothing. So, I created a competition thinking that it would be nice to pause all together at the same place at the same time.”

But what began as a quirky art project quickly evolved into something much more profound, with space-out competitions in Asia now regularly attracting thousands of applicants, although only 50-80 people are often selected to participate.


From burnout to breakthrough

Woopsyang’s origin story is, sadly, not unique for her home country of South Korea, where a grueling work culture persists. Known as “pali pali” (빨리빨리), or “hurry hurry” culture, citizens feel pressured to approach life through a turbo-charged lens. Those who succeed, by burning their candle from both ends, simultaneously wear this burn-out badge with honor while deeply resenting the nation’s ethos—one that rewards speed, efficiency, and rapid progress above all else.

yelling, move it, faster, hurry, stress. hurrySouth Korea's "pali pali" culture prizes speed, efficiency, and progress over everything else: even mental health.media3.giphy.com

There are other ways that South Koreans are fighting back against the burnout, like with the rising “sohwakhaeng” movement, which roughly translates to “small but certain happiness.” South Koreans have embraced this philosophy in droves, realizing that delight can exist in any moment: in a freshly baked loaf of bread, neatly folded clothing, or the smell of freshly cut grass. By consciously training ourselves to be aware of life’s smallest beauties, we begin to see the bigger picture and excavate ourselves from the day-to-day toils that seem to drag us down.

“Especially here in Korea, it’s such a competitive country, where people think that if they do nothing that they are a little behind,” says 35-year-old freelance announcer Kwon So-a, who won the 2024 Space-Out Competition in Seoul. “I think everyone has to have their own pace and sometimes just slow down.”

What started in Seoul is now gaining traction across Asia and beyond, with space-out competitions spreading to cities including Beijing, Rotterdam, Taipei, Hong Kong and Tokyo, reports CNN.


The science behind spacing out

“Doing nothing is good for your mental health,” explains Kwon So-a. “Your body has to relax. But your body can only relax when your brain relaxes.”


This mentality, which lead to So-a’s win, exemplifies the principle of ART, or Attention Restoration Theory, which was developed primarily by psychologists Rachel and Stephen Kaplan. The central idea here is that directed attention—the kind channeled towards work, phones, and screens; most of what fills our modern days—fatigues the brain and has “far-reaching consequences.” It’s a radical way of looking at the human attention span: that directed attention, the kind we use to focus on tasks, is a finite resource that gets depleted, minute by minute, second by second.

To combat this, ART argues that natural environments—such as National Parks—and other activities that engage in “soft fascination” allow our directed attention to replenish. It might sound vague, but that’s because it’s meant to. Researchers describe soft fascination as “attention that is less demanding on our mental capacity,” conducted in environments where reflection and daydreaming can run wild. Dr. Kaplan specifically names locations like sitting next to a stream or discovering a quiet place in the forest as places that “capture attention effortlessly,” as opposed to “hard fascination,” found in hyper-arousing video games, movies, or television. Soft fascination supports mental respite and replenishes our attention, rather than depletes it.

Which makes space-out competitions the perfect oases for soft fascination and attention restoration, as participants are allowed to sit quietly in their surroundings, disengaging from the constant distractions of modern life.

man sitting, contemplation, nature, beauty, spacing out, restThere are ways to incorporate spacing out in your daily life, no competition required. Photo credit: Canva


How to space out, no competition required

You don’t need to enter a space-out competition to reap the benefits of attention restoration therapy or simply doing nothing. And you definitely don’t need to do sit quietly for 90 minutes or monitor your heart rate. Here are a few simple ways to incorporate spacing out into your daily life:

  1. Schedule unstructured time: Scan your calendar and reserve a 15 to 30-minute block to just exist. You could walk to a local park and watch the clouds float by, or simply just stare out the window. The only goal here is to feel as unstimulated as possible.
  2. Remove distractions: Put your phone on silent, leave it in another room, and be intentional. This is your space-out time: treat it as sacred.
  3. Boredom is actually good for you: Although it seems like we’re always trying to escape it, try embracing boredom. During space-out moments, it might be tempting to throw yourself into mental planning or thinking about the past or future. Those things will always be there when you return. Gently allow these thoughts to pass.
  4. What’s your soft fascination? Finding what works for you is half the fun. Maybe it’s leaning back in your chair and noticing how your house plant catches the light, or sitting on a calm, chill corner of your block and listening as the birds sing through the trees.
  5. Remember: this is not a waste of time: Well, not in the traditional sense, anyway. “We feel like we’re wasting our time if we don’t do anything while others are keeping busy,” Woopsyang reminds us. “[But] you can waste time a little bit. You deserve it.”



One day, Woopsyang dreams of creating a “World Spacing Out Day,” where everyone on earth stops moving at the same time, just for a short while, she tellsInsideHook. "Wouldn’t it be the world’s largest, quietest festival?” In the meantime, we could all take a page out of Woopsyang’s book, and find ways to quietly engage in our own, mini space-out competitions. After reading this article, why not give it a try?

Health

Hypnotherapist's simple 'installation' trick gives negative people a more positive outlook

“My life completely changed and my mind was completely blown when I learned that it was possible.”

Thumbs up or thumbs down.

Emilie Leyes, a certified hypnotherapist and brain-training specialist, is helping people turn their negative outlooks more positive by teaching them a simple trick based on neuroscience. The trick is called “installation” and was developed by neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, Ph.D. Over time, it’s a simple practice that can reprogram our brains to counter our natural negativity bias.

Negativity bias refers to our proclivity to “attend to, learn from, and use negative information far more than positive information.” It’s why people tend to read negative headlines more than positive ones or are more likely to remember bad experiences than happy ones. It’s also why we have a larger emotional and physical response to adverse stimuli than things we enjoy.

Even though it’s an unpleasant trait, our focus on things that can harm us has helped humans survive for hundreds of thousands of years. However, according to Leyes, there’s a way to bring our minds into balance so that we don’t have such a negative, dour outlook on life.

How to have a positive outlook on life

“The good news is that you can actually counteract this negativity bias and change the way your brain functions. There's an amazing little tool, brain trick, whatever you want to call it, called installation,” Leyes said in a video with over 4 million views.

@emilieleyes.hypnosis

Taking in more of the good experiences as they happen can keep our brains from thinking so negatively! If you want to be guided through this process and learn these tools in a way that lasts, make sure to check out my six week ✨hypnotic empowerment✨ masterclass where you will learn, bring training and Hypnosis tools to bring yourself out of this negativity, bias, reduce stress, build confidence, and believe in yourself as you pursue your goals! The session is from June 3 to July 8, And you can learn more and get registered at my⛓️ ##mentalhealth##mentalhealthawareness##selfcare##braintraining##neuroplasticity##positivity##mindset##mindsetshift##emilieleyes##psychology##psychologytricks##changeyourmindset##hypnosis##subconsciousmind

“It was developed by psychologist Dr. Rick Hansen, which is basically the act of, like, amplifying the positive experiences when they come. Because, remember, the positive experiences are less intense than the negative ones,” Leyes continued. “And the practice of installation is really all about savoring those positive moments longer and more intensely than you normally would.”

Leyes says you can use the technique whenever you have a positive experience. Let’s say you are enjoying a big, cheesy, saucy piece of pizza. As you come to the last bite, focus on all of the incredible flavors and slowly chew it. Savor every moment it’s in your mouth. “And in doing that, you're actually growing that emotional response to that positive experience, which over time can start to balance out that negativity bias,” she says.



Dr. Hanson says it’s ok if we create our own positive experiences by thinking about things we’re grateful for or remembering a time we stood up to a bully or had genuine compassion for someone in pain. “Then, once you’ve got that good experience going, really enjoy it: taking 5, 10, or more seconds to protect and stay with it, and open to it in your body. The longer and more intensely those neurons fire together, the more they’ll be wiring this inner strength into your brain,” Dr. Hanson writes.

The great thing is that the installation trick will not only improve your outlook but also open the door to more positive experiences.

“It's actually priming the brain to take in more good experiences as they come,” Leyes says in her TikTok video. “Cause what we put our focused attention on is amplified in our minds and totally informs our experience. So your brain will start to learn from that and start to recognize that positive experiences are equally important to the negative ones.”

Living in the present includes finding joy in small things.

One of the hallmarks of being human is that, without even leaving our own heads, we can live in three different places—the past, the present and the future. We all have memories of things that have happened in our lives, which we might reminisce on fondly or relive traumatically. And we all have our imaginings of things to come, in which we place our hopes and dreams as well as our worries and anxieties.

And then we have the now, where all of us actually live. Despite the fact that the present moment is the only place life actively happens, many of us spend much more time mentally living in the past or in the future. We might long for a time when things were better or dwell in the past where we wish things had been different. We might look forward to something that's coming next—a big life event, a change, a break from the routine—or we might find ourselves paralyzed by the fear of an uncertain future.

There's nothing wrong with looking back or looking ahead, but if we don't look at the present right before us more often, we end up missing out on life as we're living it. The past can't be changed and the future is unknown; the only time that we can truly live fully is now.

It sounds so simple, right? If it were easy to live in the present, we'd all be doing it more often. Habits of mind can be hard change, but tips for living in the now aren't complicated. It's both easier and harder than it sounds to live in the now, but these habits can help us strike a healthier balance.

"Use the good china"

We live by a lot of unwritten rules, some that are there for good reason and some that aren't. Examining the do's and don'ts we have set for ourselves—or that others have set for us—is a worthwhile endeavor, especially when they lead us to experience life more fully in the now.

How many of us have dishes for special occasions that rarely (or never) get used or special outfits we're saving for some unnamed future event? What if we used the good china more often, just because? What if we wore our fancy dress out to dinner, just because? Would the world end? No. Might we enjoy making the most of what we're holding onto for special occasions that might never come? Probably.

It's fine to have special things for special occasions, but there's no set definition of "special," and if not now, when?

"Always take the trip"

One of the best pieces of parenting advice I ever received was "always take the trip." The idea is that our kids grow quickly, and if we're ever considering not taking a family trip because the timing or cost isn't ideal, as long as it's doable, to just do it.

That advice spills over into more than just parenting. If we have opportunities to make memories with loved ones, to experience something together outside of our norm, we should take them. There will always be reasons to say no or to put things off, but that doesn't mean we should. Barring actual financial ruin or some other dire consequence, take the trip, whatever it is.

Ground yourself in your senses

This is an exercise that can help stop a panic attack, but it can be used any time you find your mind spinning in the past or future. Becoming hyper aware of your physical surroundings can bring you into the present moment in a tangible way, and it's quite simple to do. Look around and name 5 things you see, list 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel, 2 things you smell and 1 thing you taste. Then sit with those physical senses for a moment, taking them all in.

Meditate—however it works for you

I know, I know. Some of us love meditation and others find it impossible. Much of the time, people who feel like they can't meditate have a limited view of what meditation means or what it can look like. But there are a million ways to reap the proven benefits of meditation.

You don't have to sit cross-legged and you don't have to try to "clear your mind." You can lie down. You can walk. You can focus on your breathing or on a word or phrase or image. When your mind starts wandering or racing or otherwise doing what it normally does, intentionally direct it back to whatever you're focusing on.

That mindfulness helps bring you into the present moment. Start with a couple of minutes a day and build up. It doesn't have to be complicated. Don't overthink it. Find a comfortable position or a movement you enjoy and pick one thing to focus your attention on. That's it.

Practice gratitude

The idea of practicing gratitude has almost become a cliché at this point, but hey, it works. What are you thankful for in your life right now? Making a habit of ending each day writing down or thinking about what you're grateful for is a powerful way to appreciate the present.

If you struggle to find something you're thankful for, think beyond your own immediate circumstances. Humans created public libraries and they exist all over the world—isn't that amazing? Grateful. Sunrises and sunsets and puppies and flowers? Grateful. The fact that we live in an era with toilet paper? Grateful.

There's always something to be thankful for in the now.

Find joy in small things

Life has its big moments, but most of our daily life is made up of small things. If we only look forward or backward to big things, we miss out on a lot of the simple joys of everyday life—the first sip of coffee in the morning, the sound of a loved one's laughter, the feel of the wind in your hair.

man joyfully riding a bicycle.Enjoy the little things.Photo credit: Canva

Take a moment to look at how the light comes through a window, how cute your cat looks when she's sleeping, the beauty of your favorite decor in your home, the smell of your favorite food.

Remembering that our present is the future our past self used to look forward to can help us remember the importance of living in the moment. Reflect on the past and plan for the future, but in moderation. Life is happening in the now.

via Pexels

What's the most relaxing song in the world?

Stressed? Of course you are. Luckily for you, and the entire U.S. population, scientists believe they may have identified the most relaxing song in the world.

Music has forever been associated with bringing about relaxation, happiness, and serenity — whether it's a Gregorian chant or some Enya accompanied by a glass of merlot.

Neuroscientists in the United Kingdom think they have found the one song that relieves stress and soothes our souls more than any other.


Mindlab International, a market research firm, conducted a study a few years ago in which participants completed difficult (and possibly stressful) puzzles while their brain activity was monitored. To study its effect, music was played while they completed the puzzles.

One song stood out above the rest. "Weightless" by Marconi Union (listen below), an English ambient music band, induced a 65% reduction in stress among participants, according to Inc. And DailyMail.com reported that the song was 11% more effective than most other songs — by such musicians as Adele and Coldplay — in reducing blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing speed.

The 2011 song was created by the band, along with the British Academy of Sound Therapy, to do just that — relax listeners.

If you prefer something with lyrics, try Enya's "Watermark" or "Pure Shores" by All Saints, which were also proven to be relaxing,

Music therapy is considered to be a natural therapy important in alleviating stress. Because stress is an important cause of other deadly illness, fighting it is key to maintaining good health. Numerous studies have shown how damaging stress can be to our bodies and our brain. So don't let it get out of control. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the music.

This article originally appeared on 11.03.16