December 12, 2024 Topic: Pro or Con -- Rituals Matter --- (BY ZOOM)

This meetup will be by Zoom to avoid inclement winter weather

We all have sets of routines that we like to follow, whether it’s common like brushing your teeth twice a day, or unique to our interests like working out the same way each week. For some of us, religious rituals plays a big part of our lives.

1. What's the difference between habits and rituals, and how can everyday routines shape our lives?
2. How do rituals create meaning, bind groups, help us grieve, and provoke a diversity of emotions?
3. How important are rituals to you?

Please listen to the 2 podcasts listed below before the meetup and come prepared for a relaxed 90-min discussion, and to share your perspectives.

1. Curious Minds at Work
How Rituals Improve Our Lives (47 min)
We crave meaning and purpose, yet obtaining them can feel beyond our control, like they're merely products of luck and circumstance. Fortunately, researchers who’ve studied the power of ritual have found they’re more in our control than we think. In this interview, I talk to one of these researchers, psychologist Michael Norton. He shares how rituals, especially ones we create, can provide the meaning and purpose we crave. And, unlike habits, rituals operate on an emotional level that deepens the experience. In his book, The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions, Norton shares what rituals are, why they matter, and how they can help bolster us throughout our lives. .
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/curious-minds-at-work/id1049183266?i=1000653197837
2. Hidden Brain
An Ancient Solution to Modern Problems (51 min)
People in every country and culture mark important milestones, such as births, marriages and deaths, with intricately choreographed scripts. We even appeal to supernatural forces to give our favorite sports teams an extra advantage. This week on the show, anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas explains the psychological power behind the sacred and secular rituals that structure our lives.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?i=1000589941178

FUN OPTIONAL ACTIVITY--
RITUALS QUIZ FROM DR MICHAEL NORTON, THE GUEST IN PODCAST #1 -- This does not take long to complete.
If you do it, print out your result and if you are comfortable, share it with the group.
Rituals Quiz: Michael I. Norton | Harvard Professor, Behavior Scientist, & Author

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