Formal ceremonies and rituals can trigger psychological signals that command people’s attention and strengthen the perceived importance of those moments.
Articles on Ritual
Displaying 21 - 40 of 42 articles
Biblical texts contain many references to food, reflecting the complex symbolism in the preparation and sharing of food.
Saudi Arabia is barring international visitors for the hajj. A scholar explains a long history of disease, politics and war that have previously prevented people from making the journey to Mecca.
Rituals, such as keeping vigil, can help people when a loved one is near the end of their life.
Africans have steadfastly responded to oppression through culture.
Reading the poem Eurydice to her students unleashed surprising emotions for Stephanie Trigg. But literature works in mysterious, unpredictable ways, highlighting the impossibility of trigger warnings.
How did civilization emerge from small groups of hunter-gatherers? Some archaeologists focus on cooperation as the vital ingredient – and find evidence for it in the form of feast-related artifacts.
There are many myths associated with St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. But Patrick’s own writings and early biographies reveal the person behind the legend.
Holiday traditions – whether culinary, religious, decorative or musical – help families bond and individuals feel stable and content.
At one point, turkey was jockeying with duck and chicken for king of the Thanksgiving table.
Australia has few public rituals around death, leaving people to figure out how to process grief alone. But Mexico’s Day of the Dead, with its focus on art and community, could help us cope better.
With the fall term underway and an ongoing case over the death of a Penn State pledge in February, colleges are trying once again to figure out why hazing happens and what should be done to stop it.
His particular brand of foolery is proving highly effective – and destructive.
Saints’ relics, locks of hair, the laying of flowers: keeping the dead close took many forms in the past. We could learn from them today.
For all their defiant talk of ‘business as usual’, savvy leaders know that any good response to a crisis is also an emotional performance.
Many sports enthusiasts are notoriously superstitious. Why is that so?
Death rituals help us to cope with loss and perhaps even feelings of guilt associated with disposing of a corpse.
Our panel discusses the benefits of gathering for an annual holiday meal. Traditions and rituals give us a sense of identity and closeness with those we love – and come with mental and physical health benefits too.
It can’t compete with the US, but the UK became part of mega-memorial culture after the London bombings.
Albinism is a genetic condition that can cause problems with eyesight such as photophobia (sensitivity to light), involuntary eye movements, and skin sensitivity to the sun. But it is also life-threatening…
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of Anthropology and Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut
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Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology, Harvard University
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Postdoctoral fellow, University of Tübingen
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ICREA Research Professor, Universitat de Barcelona
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Senior lecturer, Rhodes University
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Exec. Director, Institute for the Advanced Study of Culture and the Environment; Professor of Anthropology, University of South Florida
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Lecturer, Rhodes University
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Postdoctoral research associate, University of York
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Research Fellow, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS)
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Research Fellow, Coventry University
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Lecturer in Social Anthropology, University of Birmingham; Independent Social Research Foundation
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Professor of Social Psychology IPU Berlin and Visiting Professor of Social and Political Psychology, Coventry University, Coventry University
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Director of the Complex Adaptive Systems Research Group, University of Newcastle
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Dean’s Professor of Religion & Professor of History, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
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Professor of French and Critical Disability Studies, Lancaster University