#719 Dimitris Xygalatas - Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living
Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas is Associate Professor in Anthropology and Psychological Sciences and head of the Experimental Anthropology Lab at the University of Connecticut. He has also served as President of the International Association for the Cognitive and Evolutionary Sciences of Religion. His interests include ritual, sports, cooperation, the interaction between cognition and culture, and the impact of cultural practices on psychophysiological wellbeing. He is the author of The Burning Saints: Cognition and Culture in the Fire-walking Rituals of the Anastenaria, and, more recently, Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living.
In this episode, we focus on Ritual. We first ask what is a ritual, and how common it is. We talk about the functions of rituals, and how they relate to meaning. We discuss the hypothesis that rituals drove the evolution of civilization. We talk about the individual and social benefits of rituals, and causal opacity as a feature of rituals. We discuss modes of religiosity theory, and get into fire-walking rituals, and the psychological effects of costly rituals. We also talk about the relationship between ritual and sexual selection, and the role that drugs play in some rituals. Finally, we discuss the benefits and obstacles to an interdisciplinary approach in the social sciences.
Time Links:
Intro
What is a ritual?
How common are rituals?
The functions of rituals
Meaning
Did rituals drive the evolution of civilization?
The individual and social benefits of rituals
Causal opacity as a feature of rituals
Modes of religiosity theory
Fire-walking rituals, and the psychological effects of costly rituals
Credibility Enhancing Displays (CREDs)
The relationship between ritual and sexual selection
The role of drugs in rituals
The benefits and obstacles to an interdisciplinary approach in the social sciences
Follow Dr. Xygalatas’ work!
Follow Dr. Xygalatas’ work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/39w39Wh
Website: https://bit.ly/39BvJ8G
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3pxsYt9
Ritual: https://amzn.to/39xdjFW
Twitter handle: @xygalatas