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Think about the way you savor a certain beverage, the care you take with a particular outfit that gets worn only on special occasions, the unique way that your family gathers around the table during holidays, or the secret language you enjoy with your significant other. To some, these behaviors may seem quirky, but because rituals matter so deeply to us on a personal level, they give our lives purpose and meaning. For his new book, The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions, Michael Norton (FAN ’16), the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, draws on a decade of original research to show that rituals play a role in healing communities experiencing a great loss, marking life’s major transitions, driving a stadium of sports fans to ecstasy, and helping us rise to challenges and realize opportunities.

Norton will be in conversation with award-winning social psychologist Sam Sommers, Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychology and director of the Racial Equity and Diversity Lab at Tufts University.