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All shapes and sizes -

While the word "ritual" is often associated with religion, and indeed many religious rituals are practiced the world over, in fact rituals come in all shapes and sizes.

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Post-nuptial bathroom ban -

In Indonesia, newly-married couples of the Tidong community are banned from using the bathroom for three days after their marriage, as using the bathroom is said to bring them bad luck.

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Marital teeth filing -

In Bali, both men and women have their teeth filed as part of their preparation for marriage. Smoothed teeth symbolize control of sinful emotions such as lust and greed.

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Nothing new -

Rituals have been around for a very long time. In the early 20th century, anthropologist Bronislzw Malinowski visited the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea.

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Trobriand ritual -

He noticed that before heading out to the dangerous open sea, the islands’ fishermen would, among other things, paint their canoes black, red, and white and chant spells.

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Natural conclusion -

Noticing that they did not do the same before fishing in the calm lagoon, he concluded that the rituals were developed to help deal with the unpredictability of the ocean.

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Throwback -

But, of course, ritualistic behavior goes back even further than that: the earliest evidence of human ritual practice is thought to date back 70,000 years.

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Botswanian python -

In Botswana, there is a carving of a python in a cave. It is surrounded by thousands of stone spearheads that archaeologists believe were burnt in sacrifice to the snake.

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Defining the term -

Psychologists define "ritual" as: “a predefined sequence of symbolic actions often characterized by formality and repetition that lacks direct instrumental purpose.”

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Reflection of values -

Ritualistic behavior is very common and it is thought that we primarily develop rituals to live out our values, e.g. Christians christen their babies to symbolize spiritual rebirth.

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Added benefit -

However, scientists now believe that rituals likely do more than help us live out our values. They may, in fact, help reduce anxiety.

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How it works -

Research suggests that rituals are able to convince our brains of constancy and predictability and act as “ritual buffers against uncertainty and anxiety.”

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Evidence -

There have been a number of studies that show rituals can reduce anxiety in a number of different contexts.

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Singing challenge -

In one experiment, two groups of participants were asked to sing Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ in front of a group of total strangers.

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Two groups -

The first group of participants was asked to perform a ritual before the performance, while the other was asked to just sit and wait patiently.

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Taking measurements -

The anxiety levels of the two groups’ participants were measured by heart rate, feelings of anxiety, and quality of performance of the song.

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Verbatim -

According to the co-author of the study, "Participants who completed the ritual sang better, had significantly lower heart rates, and reported feeling less anxious than participants who had not performed the ritual."

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Sports application -

Sports psychologists also believe that pre-performance rituals can benefit athletes by improving execution and perhaps reducing anxiety.

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Rafael Nadal -

Tennis star Rafael Nadal apparently has as many as 19 pre-performance rituals that he performs before each match.

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From the horse's mouth -

In his 2012 autobiography, he described these rituals as “a way of placing myself in a match, ordering my surroundings to match the order I seek in my head.”

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Help with grief -

Rituals may also help us deal with bereavement. It is believed that end of life rituals can create a stronger bond between the dead and the living.

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2014 study -

In one study from 2014, researchers found that participants who performed rituals after a loved one’s death, such as washing that person’s car every week, had a lower level of grief.

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Theory -

This is perhaps to do with the fact that bereavement triggers a sense of loss of control, and performing a ritual helps us feel we are taking back that control.

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Group context -

The positive effects of ritual are visible not only on an individual level, but also on a group level. Rituals can improve social bonding when performed in a group.

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Expert opinion -

According to one UK psychologist, “Having social networks has frequently been linked to well-being, and it is thought that rituals— frequent group gatherings—are particularly good at facilitating such networks.”

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Atmosphere of trust -

This is because group rituals demonstrate that the members of the group are like-minded and share the same values, which fosters an atmosphere of trust.

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Downsides -

There are some disadvantages to rituals, however. For example, research suggests that the performance of rituals can cause inter-group bias.

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Bead experiment -

In one study, groups of children were given bags of string and beads. The children who participated in collective rituals showed their goodies more to those children who also participated.

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Initiation ceremonies -

Also, when a group ritual takes on a degrading or humiliating aim, as sometimes happens in college initiation ceremonies, it can become harmful and dangerous.

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In conclusion -

However, it seems that overall the pros of ritualistic behavior outweigh the cons. Why not develop a personal ritual today? It just might help you get through that tough task.

Sources: (BBC) (India Times)

See also: Subtle signs that someone is struggling with anxiety

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