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Michael Norton at The Cambridge Public Library presenting “The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions” in conversation with JIM BRAUDE
April 9 @ 6:00 pm
| Free – $29.75
Harvard Book Store welcomes MICHAEL NORTON—Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and the co-author of Happy Money—for a discussion of his new book The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions. He will be joined in conversation by JIM BRAUDE—co-host of Boston Public Radio on GBH 89.7 and former host of GBH’s Greater Boston.
Ticketing
RSVP for free to this event or choose the “Book-Included” ticket to reserve a copy of The Ritual Effect and pick it up at the event. Michael will sign copies of his new book after the presentation.
About The Ritual Effect
Our lives are filled with repetitive tasks meant to keep us on track—what we come to know as habits. Over time, these routines (for example, 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 of 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 imbue our lives with purpose and meaning. Drawing on a decade of original research, Norton shows 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.
Compelling, insightful, and practical, The Ritual Effect reminds us of the intention-filled acts that drive human behavior and create surprising satisfaction and enjoyment.