About the Guest: Dimitris Xygalatas, PhD is an anthropologist and associate professor at the University of Connecticut. His research interests center around human ritual behavior and the interaction between cognition and culture.
Episode Summary: Nick Jikomes talks to Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas about his new Book, "Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living." Topics covered: Rituals vs. habits; the psychological purpose of ritual; ritualism as an antidote to anxiety; religion and spiritual practices; culture & the birth of civilization; the physiological and psychoactive effects of ritual; Ayahuasca and psychoactive drugs; rituals in sports, gambling, and other human activities; the evolution of language & symbolic cognition; religion, community & Burning Man.
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