The Ritual Effect

The Transformative Power of Our Everyday Actions

By: Michael Norton

Narrated by: Michael Norton

Brought to you by Penguin.

In this ground-breaking and inspiring guide, a renowned Harvard psychologist demonstrates how turning everyday habits into rituals can improve our work, our relationships and our lives.

Think of the way you keep up quirky family traditions.

How listening to a certain song before speaking in public can calm you down.

Or why it feels so strange to sleep on the opposite side of the bed.

These are rituals: practices that are imbued with symbolic meaning. And they have the power to turn black-and-white moments into technicolour.

In his ground-breaking book, Harvard professor and world-leading rituals expert Michael Norton uses his cutting-edge research to show the impact that these everyday actions have on our lives -- and how transforming habits into rituals can give us purpose and pleasure. Habits get you through the day; rituals make the day worth remembering, and life more meaningful.

Along the way, Norton shares stories from sporting superstars (Serena Williams always bounces the ball five times before her first serve), million-dollar companies (new Google employees wear beanies with propellers) and ordinary people (inventing their own “ritual signatures”), who reimagine everyday moments to give a sense of control, build camaraderie, and spark joy.

©2024 Michael Norton (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Habits are powerful, but, as Michael Norton demonstrates in this fascinating book, there are other patterns that are essential to the well-lived life: rituals. Featuring lively storytelling and cutting-edge science, The Ritual Effect sticks with you as it shows how to build the rituals needed to perform under pressure, savor an experience, or construct a memory that will last forever." (Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators)

"If you are looking for purpose, better family dynamics, or simply a happier life, Michael Norton just might be the answer. In The Ritual Effect, Norton masterfully shows that, from the religious to the secular, rituals in your life play a central role in reaping full value from each moment." (Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of From Strength to Strength)

"A masterclass in ritual presented by one of my very favorite behavioral scientists! The Ritual Effect opens our eyes to the rituals we already perform—and the ones we can choose to create—which have the remarkable power to infuse the mundane with meaning and emotion." (Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit)