People find faith or change faiths for many reasons: marriage, raising a family, dealing with grief or crisis. But sometimes it happens the other way around… faith finds you. A believing takes hold, a sense that something divine is there. And maybe not in the way or role that you might have expected. It’s not uncommon. Data show that these types of experiences happen to about 30% of people. On this episode we’ll talk to one of these people –New York Times columnist and best selling author David Brooks– about his unexpected encounter with faith and what came after.Find out more about Weave: The Social Fabric Project, the non-profit David founded at the Aspen Institute.
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35:12
Fasting for the Soul
Many would agree there are few things better than sharing a delicious meal with the people you love, which is one reason why breaking bread together is a cornerstone of religions the world over. But so too is the opposite - going without food. From Ramadan to Yom Kippur to Lent, fasting is an important ritual in many faiths. But why do so many religions periodically take away the very thing that nourishes our bodies and souls? On this episode we'll talk with Khalil-Abdur Rashid about the role fasting plays in Islam, and why not eating and drinking is actually the easy part. And we'll talk to Adam Cohen about some new research that suggests even one day of fasting could help deepen religious commitment and overall well being.Imam Dr. Khalil Abdur-Rashid is the first full-time University Muslim Chaplain at Harvard University, Instructor of Muslim Studies at Harvard Divinity School, and Public Policy Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.Adam Cohen is a Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University. Learn more about his research here.
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31:05
Origins of Belief
We often think of belief as a religious or cultural idea that is a hallmark of modern humans. But what if the early sparks of belief burned in our ancestors’ minds long before modern humans walked the earth? What if beliefs about some of the biggest questions out there, like what happens after death, weren’t just pondered by Homo sapiens?On this episode, evolutionary anthropologist Agustín Fuentes takes us on a journey spanning millions of years, from our primate relatives in the deep past to the complex spiritual and cultural traditions we know today. Along the way, we’ll learn how the capacity for belief has helped shape our species and why it remains a powerful force in our lives today.Agustín Fuentes is a Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University and the author of the books Why We Believe: Evolution and the Human Way of Being and The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional. Learn more about his work on his website, and be sure to check out his forthcoming book Sex is a Spectrum: The Biological Limits of the Binary, due out in May 2025.
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35:22
Marriage, Monogamy and the Modern Mind
When it comes to finding happiness, many religions see marriage as the gold standard: a path to love, stability, and fulfillment. But is that really true? And if so, why are marriage rates plummeting in so many parts of the world?In this episode, we’ll talk to anthropologist Joseph Henrich about the surprising history of marriage and monogamy, including how these institutions helped lay the groundwork for much of our modern way of life. We’ll also speak with psychologist Geoff MacDonald about what it means to live a happy, single life in a world that often prioritizes partnership, and why marriage might not offer the best road to fulfillment for everyone. Joseph Henrich is the Ruth Moore Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, and the author of The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous. Geoff MacDonald is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, where he leads the MacDonald Social Psychology Research Laboratory, which aims to study well-being in singlehood.
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36:07
Season 8 Trailer
Join us for Season 8 of How God Works, starting next week!
Acerca de How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
While religion and science often seem at odds, there’s one thing they can agree on: people who take part in spiritual practices tend to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. The big question is: Why? In How God Works, professor Dave DeSteno takes us on a journey to find out how spirituality impacts our minds and bodies, as well as the world in which we live.
He speaks to leading scientists and philosophers, religious thinkers, and thought leaders to explore what we can learn from the world’s faith traditions to help us meet some of life’s biggest challenges. Along the way, he’ll look at how we can adapt and use spiritual practices in our own lives, whatever our beliefs, including none at all.
It’s by working across the boundaries that usually divide us – science versus religion, one faith versus another – that we’ll find new ways to make life better for everyone.
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