logo
episode-header-image
May 2020
29m 32s

The Power of a Made-up Ritual

Pushkin Industries
About this episode

Vlad's mom taught him a family tradition - remember grandpa when you taste the first fruits of the season. It was odd, but the boy went along with it. Only later when he faced two crushing bereavements of his own did Vlad realise the power of tiny personal rituals to ease his grief.

Dr Laurie Santos examines the science behind this effect and explains how rites, ceremonies and rituals could help you deal with events that make you sad - from job rejections to divorce.

For an even deeper dive into the research we talk about in the show visit happinesslab.fm

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Jan 12
How to Bounce Back from Life’s Curveballs (with Dr. Maya Shankar)
Life has a way of upending even our best-laid plans. Breakups, job losses, scary health diagnoses — these unexpected changes can leave us feeling stuck and uncertain about what comes next.Dr. Laurie speaks with her dear friend and former student, Dr. Maya Shankar, author of The O ... Show More
39m 34s
Jan 5
Stop Wasting Your Energy — Here’s What to Do Instead (with Dr. Diana Hill)
A lot of us spend our energy on things that aren’t worth it: projects, relationships, or goals that may feel important in the moment but ultimately leave us frustrated and drained. Dr. Diana Hill, clinical psychologist and author of Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on ... Show More
46m 58s
Dec 30
From Decoding Women's Health: Decoding Happiness in Midlife
Midlife can be a period of immense change and, sometimes, challenging emotions. But it’s also an opportunity to cultivate deeper, more lasting happiness. Dr Laurie recently joined another Pushkin podcast, Decoding Women's Health with Dr Elizabeth Poynor, to share insights on how ... Show More
50m 37s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2022
The Power of Ritual
<p>Our lives are populated by rituals. Baptisms. Funerals. Graduations. Singing happy birthday, chanting cheers at a sports event, saying grace before dinner. When we perform rituals, there's no causal link between the behavior and the hoped for effect; for example, there's no ca ... Show More
44m 34s
Apr 2023
Healing Your Inner Child Through Raising One
When we have children, we are presented with the unique opportunity to give them everything we needed when we were growing up. It’s an opportunity to reparent ourselves; to heal our own inner child. In today’s episode, this notion has become so apparent in Rachel’s life as she te ... Show More
48m 46s
Jul 2021
Weird Courtship Rituals, Part One
<p>Would you whisper sweet nothings to your sweeheart through a six-foot tube with your Puritan grandmother in the room? Would you force feed your children to make them more attractive for a potential groom? It's often said the course of true love never did run smooth -- and it s ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2017
Episode 6: Rescued by Ritual
This self-described "Midwestern mom" found a way to heal the trauma of a violent marriage entirely on her own. She created a ritual, which her doctor now recognizes and recommends as a tool for recovery from abuse. Season 2 of Sincerely, X is available exclusively on the Luminary ... Show More
25m 54s
Apr 2023
Dimitris Xygalatas, "Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living" (Little, Brown Spark, 2022)
Ritual is one of the oldest, and certainly most enigmatic, threads in the history of human culture. It presents a profound paradox: people ascribe the utmost importance to their rituals, but few can explain why they are so important. Apparently pointless ceremonies pervade every ... Show More
34m 18s
Mar 2021
The Devil and The Rain: The Case of Don Decker
<p>Here's the story: When Don Decker went on furlough to attend his abusive Grandfather's funeral, he experienced something extraordinary -- water fell upward from the floor of his hosts' home, he levitated, recoiled from religious symbols. Multiple witnesses and investigators, s ... Show More
59m 53s
Jan 2022
How Forgiveness Works
For most of history, forgiveness fell under the domain of religion. But in the 1980s science started investigating it and found that forgiving someone is really, really good for you. Learn how anybody can be the better person in this really great episode. Learn more about your ad ... Show More
58m 42s
Oct 2022
Episode 145 - Creating a Future by Healing Your Past
Many of us are haunted by experiences that happened to us as children. In Morrie's youth, he faced a trauma that shaped his life. On today's episode of the Tuesday People podcast, host Mitch Albom discusses childhood trauma and how we can overcome our past by creating our own fut ... Show More
32m 35s