Audiobook6 hours
How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion
Written by David DeSteno
Narrated by Arthur Morey
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Drawing on a wealth of new evidence, pioneering research psychologist David DeSteno shows why religious practices and rituals are so beneficial to those who follow them—and to anyone, regardless of their faith (or lack thereof).
Scientists are beginning to discover what believers have known for a long time: the rewards that a religious life can provide. For millennia, people have turned to priests, rabbis, imams, shamans, and others to help them deal with issues of grief and loss, birth and death, morality and meaning. In this absorbing work, DeSteno reveals how numerous religious practices from around the world improve emotional and physical well-being.
With empathy and rigor, DeSteno chronicles religious rites and traditions from cradle to grave. He explains how the Japanese rituals surrounding childbirth help strengthen parental bonds with children. He describes how the Apache Sunrise Ceremony makes teenage girls better able to face the rigors of womanhood. He shows how Buddhist meditation reduces hostility and increases compassion. He demonstrates how the Jewish practice of sitting shiva comforts the bereaved. And much more.
DeSteno details how belief itself enhances physical and mental health. But you don’t need to be religious to benefit from the trove of wisdom that religion has to offer. Many items in religion’s “toolbox” can help the body and mind whether or not one believes. How God Works offers advice on how to incorporate many of these practices to help all of us live more meaningful, successful, and satisfying lives.
Scientists are beginning to discover what believers have known for a long time: the rewards that a religious life can provide. For millennia, people have turned to priests, rabbis, imams, shamans, and others to help them deal with issues of grief and loss, birth and death, morality and meaning. In this absorbing work, DeSteno reveals how numerous religious practices from around the world improve emotional and physical well-being.
With empathy and rigor, DeSteno chronicles religious rites and traditions from cradle to grave. He explains how the Japanese rituals surrounding childbirth help strengthen parental bonds with children. He describes how the Apache Sunrise Ceremony makes teenage girls better able to face the rigors of womanhood. He shows how Buddhist meditation reduces hostility and increases compassion. He demonstrates how the Jewish practice of sitting shiva comforts the bereaved. And much more.
DeSteno details how belief itself enhances physical and mental health. But you don’t need to be religious to benefit from the trove of wisdom that religion has to offer. Many items in religion’s “toolbox” can help the body and mind whether or not one believes. How God Works offers advice on how to incorporate many of these practices to help all of us live more meaningful, successful, and satisfying lives.
Author
David DeSteno
David DeSteno is a professor of psychology at Northeastern University and the author of Emotional Success and The Truth About Trust, and coauthor of Out of Character. He frequently writes for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Harvard Business Review, and The Atlantic. He received his PhD in psychology from Yale University.
Related to How God Works
Related audiobooks
The Future of God: The Merging of Science and Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nudge: Awakening Each Other to the God Who's Already There Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Naked Now: Learning To See As the Mystics See Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Essential Spirituality Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Spirit Tech: The Brave New World of Consciousness Hacking and Enlightenment Engineering Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One People One Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Life-Changing Science of Detecting Bullshit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Happier, No Matter What: Cultivating Hope, Resilience, and Purpose in Hard Times Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Blind Spot Effect: How to Stop Missing What's Right in Front of You Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking: How Irrational Beliefs Keep Us Happy, Healthy, and Sane Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Oasis in Time: How a Day of Rest Can Save Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Me, Myself, and Why: Searching for the Science of Self Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Curious? Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist's Case for the Existence of the Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Transcend: 9 Steps to Living Well Forever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
New Age & Spirituality For You
Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing The Uncommon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Many Lives, Many Masters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Between Death & Life: Conversations with a Spirit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Great Divorce Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Grief Observed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Abolition of Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Three Questions: How to Discover and Master the Power Within You Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Miracles Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weight of Glory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gospel of Thomas: The Gnostic Wisdom of Jesus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Free Will Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conversations with God: An Uncommon Dialogue, Book 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Destiny of Souls: New Case Studies of Life Between Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Silence: The Power of Quiet in a World Full of Noise Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Greatest Secret Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Same Soul, Many Bodies: Discover the Healing Power of Future Lives through Progression Therapy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for How God Works
Rating: 4.333333333333333 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
6 ratings1 review
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Couldn’t get through it. Interesting subject but very soft and squishy science