Today we're talking all about ritual with psychologist Laird Edman, who researches the cognitive science of religion, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence at Northwestern College. “People have all kinds of physiological experiences when they engage in rituals,” he says. “It taps into our endorphins" and "helps calm and de-stress people." We cover imagistic versus doctrinal ritual, orthopraxy over orthodoxy, the meaning behind rituals, and more.

Laird’s Faculty Page:

https://www.nwciowa.edu/psychology/faculty/laird-edman#:~:text=Laird%20Edman%20Professor%20of%20Psychology%3B%20Department%20Chair&text=Laird%20Edman%20specializes%20in%20the,teaching%20and%20assessing%20critical%20thinking

Blueprint 1543 Episode with Laird:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psych-for-theology-ministry-laird-edman/id1541066188?i=1000594724069

Dimitris Xygalatas NPR Piece on Ritual:

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/13/1122796534/rituals-are-important-to-human-life-even-when-they-seem-meaningless

Dimitris Xygalatas’s book on Ritual: https://www.amazon.com/Ritual-Seemingly-Senseless-Worth-Living/dp/0316462403

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