The Ritual Effect

The modern decline in ritual can contribute to a loss of meaning — but you can “reenchant” your own life.

Many people grew up with rituals — such as singing hymns at mass — but society is moving into a more secular age, and people are losing faith in both religious leaders and government institutions. Economist Max Weber predicted this trend in 1897, asserting that humanity has been moving increasingly toward “disenchantment” as bureaucracy, science, and technological systems displace organizing principles derived from religion, spirituality, and magical thinking. He warned that soon humanity would enter a “polar night of icy darkness” as rationality eclipses the sense of meaning people once gained from ritual, faith, and superstition. Weber imagined a “disenchanted world bereft of ritual.”

Keeping ritual alive in your life can offer several benefits. For example, because enacting a ritual can connect you to the present moment, rituals can help you escape the pressure to pursue nonstop optimization. Ritual can also help you connect with a sense of cultural identity. People who gather with friends and family to ...