What Cargo Cult Rituals Reveal About Human Nature
In Melanesia, Indigenous communities developed elaborate rituals to bring themselves material wealth starting in the late 19th century. These practices reveal a profoundly important and universal social technology.
Five New Year’s Rituals of Renewal
An anthropologist explores a range of cultural celebrations around the world to mark the new year. Spoiler alert: They don’t all fall on January 1.
Explaining the Emergence of Coronavirus Rituals
An anthropologist illuminates how both old and new rituals can provide a sense of comfort during times of uncertainty.
How Rituals of Pain Help Heal
A new study reveals how ceremonies involving physical suffering can be invaluable tools for building resilience and coping skills.
How Hearts Align in a Muslim Ritual
An important Sufi ritual brings participants together in a shared experience of trance and movement that actually synchronizes their heartbeats.
Are Religious People More Moral?
Cultures around the world share the belief that atheists lack morality. The evidence, however, tells a different story.
The Perennial Power of Ritual
Rituals soothe, excite, and unite people throughout the world. But how exactly do they work, and what makes them so meaningful?
