Michael Norton at The Cambridge Public Library

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.

Praise for The Ritual Effect

“An eye-opening window into why we swear by certain routines—and how we can build more enriching ones.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking

“Fascinating…Featuring lively storytelling and cutting-edge science, The Ritual Effect sticks with you.” —Charles Duhigg, New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Supercommunicators

“A masterclass…opens our eyes to the rituals we already perform—and the ones we can choose to create—which have the remarkable power to infuse the mundane with meaning and emotion.” —Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit

Masking Policy

Masks are encouraged but not required for this event.