The Ritual Effect

Leading Harvard psychologist Professor Michael Norton shows how turning everyday habits into rituals can help achieve your goals, find happiness, and transform your life with everyday actions.

In this ground-breaking and inspiring guide, renowned Harvard psychologist Professor Michael Norton demonstrates how turning everyday habits into rituals can improve your work, your relationships, and your life.

Think of the quirky traditions that you have with your friends. Or the unusual ways you and your family mark special occasions. Or the gifts your partner gives—and what you'd think if they'd bought the same for an ex. These are rituals—practices that are imbued with symbolic meaning. And they have the power to turn black-and-white moments into technicolour.

In The Ritual Effect, Norton shares stories from sporting superstars (Serena Williams always bouncing the ball five times before her first serve), million-dollar companies (Zipcar urging staff to destroy their old desktops with sledgehammers), and ordinary people (inventing their own “ritual signatures”) to reimagine everyday moments, build camaraderie, and spark joy.

Rituals can help us to forge winning teams, heal families experiencing grief, and encourage us to rise to challenges, big or small. Now it's time to create yours.