Mike Carruthers

But you wonder if the people doing the dance are thinking that or are they thinking, God, I hope this makes it rain.

It does seem, well, let me ask you, does it seem that there are plenty of people who probably have few, if any, rituals, I imagine, that this isn't a real thing for them?

Well, I think church is a good example of, I think one of the reasons people go and find comfort is in the rituals, that the rituals mean something to them.

Well, just in everyday life, I mean, just think every time you greet somebody for the first time, you shake hands or you hug.

I mean, that's a ritual.

I find it really interesting that during COVID, people were saying, you know, the handshake is dead, that we just can't do that anymore.

We're just spreading germs.

And when it was appropriate, the handshake came roaring back because people just weren't going to have that.

Well, it's so clear listening to you and looking at this through your eyes.

How important rituals are really to the point of it seems like we need them, we crave them.

They're like guardrails to help us navigate life.

And they're probably a lot more important than people think they are.

I've been speaking with Michael Norton.

He is a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.

And the name of his book is The Ritual Effect.

And there is a link to that book in the show notes.

I appreciate you coming on and talking about this.

Thank you, Michael.

Thank you very much.

You already know that exercise and a healthy diet are important to maintain your weight, stay healthy and live longer.