February 9, 2021
Felicity Aulino
Human history has been shaped by vivid experiences of gods and spirits, from Augustine’s conversion to Christianity after hearing a disembodied voice to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s decision, after hearing God’s voice, to move ahead with the Montgomery bus boycotts.
Now an international, multi-disciplinary team of researchers including Felicity Aulino, assistant Five College professor of anthropology, has identified two attributes, porosity and absorption, that make individuals more likely to have these kinds of experiences. Over the course of four studies of more than 2,000 participants from many different religious traditions in the United States, Ghana, Thailand, China and Vanuatu, Aulino and her team demonstrate the power of culture in combination with individual differences to shape something that we normally think of as a given – what feels real. Their findings are detailed in a study recently published in the journal
Feb 4, 2021
Metro photo
Rituals serve a purpose even in a pandemic â though some may have to change for safety reasons.
Editor’s note: The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Today’s piece is by Cristine H Legare of The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts.
(THE CONVERSATION) COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of daily life, including rituals both sacred and mundane. At the same time, the pandemic has opened a unique opportunity globally to adapt rituals to meet new needs and respond to new challenges.
Rituals are social conventions that range from religious ceremonies like baptisms and bat mitzvahs to simple greetings like handshakes.
Two key factors facilitate the experience of spirits or gods
Human history has been shaped by vivid experiences of gods and spirits, from Augustine’s conversion to Christianity after hearing a disembodied voice to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s decision, after hearing God’s voice, to move ahead with the Montgomery bus boycotts.
Now Stanford University anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann, the Howard H. and Jessie T. Watkins University Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, has identified two attributes, porosity and absorption, that make individuals more likely to have these kinds of experiences. Over the course of four studies of more than 2,000 participants from many different religious traditions in the United States, Ghana, Thailand, China and Vanuatu, Luhrmann and her team demonstrate the power of culture in combination with individual differences to shape something that we normally think of as a given – what feels real. Their findings are detailed in a study pub
By Sandra Feder
Human history has been shaped by vivid experiences of gods and spirits, from Augustine’s conversion to Christianity after hearing a disembodied voice to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s decision, after hearing God’s voice, to move ahead with the Montgomery bus boycotts.
Stanford researchers have identified attributes that make individuals more likely to have the experience of the presence of gods and spirits. (Image credit: Marc Olivier Jodoin / Unsplash)
Now Stanford University anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann, the Howard H. and Jessie T. Watkins University Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, has identified two attributes, porosity and absorption, that make individuals more likely to have these kinds of experiences. Over the course of four studies of more than 2,000 participants from many different religious traditions in the United States, Ghana, Thailand, China and Vanuatu, Luhrmann and her team demonstrate the power of culture in combination with