Michael Norton, Ph.D.
Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Sam Sommers, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Racial Equity and Diversity Lab at Tufts University
The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions
BONUS AFTER-HOURS EVENT, with BOGO: Attendees who purchase a copy of The Ritual Effect from FAN’s partner bookseller The Book Stall are invited to attend an AFTER-HOURS event hosted by Norton and Sommers that will start immediately after the webinar. AND: FAN will gift a second copy of the book to After-Hours guests! Details on the webinar registration page.
Our lives are filled with repetitive tasks meant to keep us on track—what we come to know as habits. Over time, these routines (like brushing your teeth or putting on your right sock first) tend to be performed automatically. But when we’re more mindful about these actions—when we focus on the precise way they are performed—they can instead become rituals. Shifting from a “habitual” mindset to a “ritual” mindset can convert ordinary acts from black and white to Technicolor.
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, Ph.D. (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’s research focuses on behavioral economics and well-being, with particular attention given to happiness and spending, income inequality, and the IKEA effect. He is the co-author of Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending, and his “How to Buy Happiness” TED Talk has been viewed over 4 million times.
Norton will be in conversation with award-winning social psychologist Sam Sommers, Ph.D., Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychology and director of the Racial Equity and Diversity Lab at Tufts University.
This event suitable for youth 12+. It will be recorded and available on FAN’s website and YouTube channel.
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- The Alliance for Early Childhood
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- British International School of Chicago, Lincoln Park
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- Catherine Cook School
- Chicago Jewish Day School
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- Evanston Township High School D202
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- The Frances Xavier Warde School
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- Illinois Student Assistance Commission
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- Lake Forest Country Day School
- Latin School of Chicago
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- Near North Montessori School
- North Shore Country Day
- Northwestern University Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations
- Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy
- Pope John XXIII School
- Regina Dominican College Preparatory High School
- Resurrection College Prep High School
- Rogers Park Montessori School
- Roycemore School
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Upcoming Events
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Alan Lightman, Ph.D.
Professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT and author of seven novels
Dacher Keltner, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, University of California at Berkeley, Faculty Director of the Greater Good Science Center, and bestselling author
ON ZOOM
The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions
Michael Norton, Ph.D.
Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Sam Sommers, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Racial Equity and Diversity Lab at Tufts University
ON ZOOM