Dr. Andrew Newberg

as a whole on the other hand and this is sometimes the downside of rituals is that you could have a small group of 20 people where they feel connected to themselves but within their ideology it is all about their own personal story and their personal connection to the world and so now if you're not part of that myth if you're part of a different tradition or a different perspective now you are viewed as external you're viewed as not real as some of the things that we talked about earlier

as a whole on the other hand and this is sometimes the downside of rituals is that you could have a small group of 20 people where they feel connected to themselves but within their ideology it is all about their own personal story and their personal connection to the world and so now if you're not part of that myth if you're part of a different tradition or a different perspective now you are viewed as external you're viewed as not real as some of the things that we talked about earlier

So, these practices and religions can be a great way of bringing people together through the power of rituals, through the power of myths, so that we really have an idea, a very profound idea about who we are, how we're connected to each other, and how we're connected to the world. But sometimes that can become problematic if you begin to exclude people who are outside of that ritual.

So, these practices and religions can be a great way of bringing people together through the power of rituals, through the power of myths, so that we really have an idea, a very profound idea about who we are, how we're connected to each other, and how we're connected to the world. But sometimes that can become problematic if you begin to exclude people who are outside of that ritual.

So, these practices and religions can be a great way of bringing people together through the power of rituals, through the power of myths, so that we really have an idea, a very profound idea about who we are, how we're connected to each other, and how we're connected to the world. But sometimes that can become problematic if you begin to exclude people who are outside of that ritual.

And it can actually foster a great deal of animosity and rituals are used towards great evil as well as they are used towards great good. And that therein lies part of the problem. But our brains seem to be designed that way. In fact, the most recent book I published called Sex, God and the Brain talks a lot about the rituals that we have as human beings. that bring us together.

And it can actually foster a great deal of animosity and rituals are used towards great evil as well as they are used towards great good. And that therein lies part of the problem. But our brains seem to be designed that way. In fact, the most recent book I published called Sex, God and the Brain talks a lot about the rituals that we have as human beings. that bring us together.

And it can actually foster a great deal of animosity and rituals are used towards great evil as well as they are used towards great good. And that therein lies part of the problem. But our brains seem to be designed that way. In fact, the most recent book I published called Sex, God and the Brain talks a lot about the rituals that we have as human beings. that bring us together.

Well, where did they come from? As I mentioned, my late mentor, Eugene De Quilly, was an anthropologist by training. So if you take an evolutionary perspective for a moment and you say, well, the rituals in the human brain theoretically had to evolve from rituals in animal brains. Well, what are animal rituals? Well, all animal rituals are mating rituals.

Well, where did they come from? As I mentioned, my late mentor, Eugene De Quilly, was an anthropologist by training. So if you take an evolutionary perspective for a moment and you say, well, the rituals in the human brain theoretically had to evolve from rituals in animal brains. Well, what are animal rituals? Well, all animal rituals are mating rituals.

Well, where did they come from? As I mentioned, my late mentor, Eugene De Quilly, was an anthropologist by training. So if you take an evolutionary perspective for a moment and you say, well, the rituals in the human brain theoretically had to evolve from rituals in animal brains. Well, what are animal rituals? Well, all animal rituals are mating rituals.

But actually what happens in mating is that you're connected, you're bringing two animals together. So you blur the boundary between self and other, you come together, and that process becomes a very powerful experience for the animal and obviously for us as human beings, so that

But actually what happens in mating is that you're connected, you're bringing two animals together. So you blur the boundary between self and other, you come together, and that process becomes a very powerful experience for the animal and obviously for us as human beings, so that

But actually what happens in mating is that you're connected, you're bringing two animals together. So you blur the boundary between self and other, you come together, and that process becomes a very powerful experience for the animal and obviously for us as human beings, so that

all of these rituals really are at a very fundamental level of who we are and drive very powerful emotions, very powerful senses of connection, and really make us feel that our ideas and the people that we are connected to, who we consider to be a part of the same group, that whole in-group concept becomes a very strong and powerful effect for human beings, which again can be for great good, bringing everybody together, but sometimes can be for great bad.

all of these rituals really are at a very fundamental level of who we are and drive very powerful emotions, very powerful senses of connection, and really make us feel that our ideas and the people that we are connected to, who we consider to be a part of the same group, that whole in-group concept becomes a very strong and powerful effect for human beings, which again can be for great good, bringing everybody together, but sometimes can be for great bad.

all of these rituals really are at a very fundamental level of who we are and drive very powerful emotions, very powerful senses of connection, and really make us feel that our ideas and the people that we are connected to, who we consider to be a part of the same group, that whole in-group concept becomes a very strong and powerful effect for human beings, which again can be for great good, bringing everybody together, but sometimes can be for great bad.

Well, I think if what we have been talking about holds, then when you lose that sense of connection, you do begin to feel more isolated. You can become more anxious, more depressed because you're not engaging the world properly. Our brains were designed to be social. Going back to this whole idea of mating and so many of...

Well, I think if what we have been talking about holds, then when you lose that sense of connection, you do begin to feel more isolated. You can become more anxious, more depressed because you're not engaging the world properly. Our brains were designed to be social. Going back to this whole idea of mating and so many of...

Well, I think if what we have been talking about holds, then when you lose that sense of connection, you do begin to feel more isolated. You can become more anxious, more depressed because you're not engaging the world properly. Our brains were designed to be social. Going back to this whole idea of mating and so many of...