#There should be a sense of ritual during the New Year#, what exactly is a sense of ritual?

It's the Spring Festival again. What should we pay attention to during these days?

You might blurt it out - be mindful of the ritual.

01 Confusion about the sense of ritual

Don’t worry, you are not alone. In early 2023, a survey conducted by Sina Weibo showed that 72.44% of users believed that a sense of ritual was an important part of the festival. [1] In June 2023, a survey by China Youth Daily showed that more than 60% of young people regarded a sense of ritual as an important way to express their emotions, and 90.9% of young people were willing to take the initiative to create a sense of ritual. [2]

However, when it comes to specific practices, many people simply associate the sense of ritual with "buying, buying, buying." As a result, blind following often occurs. Some stores see business opportunities in this and no longer focus on the quality of the goods, but instead work hard on "storytelling" to take the opportunity to raise prices. [3] In other cases, a lot of time is spent on creating a sense of ritual, but the results are not very good, and people even feel exhausted. [2]

What went wrong?

Screenshot of trending searches (Source: Weibo)

——Maybe I got it wrong from the beginning and didn’t understand the definition of sense of ritual.

02 What is a sense of ritual?

Literally speaking, "ritual sense" is the feeling brought about by ritual behavior. Ritual itself is a cultural phenomenon. Psychologists have found in their research that various rituals have three common characteristics. [4,5]

First, rituals often do not have a direct instrumental purpose. [4,5] For example, for scientists, in order to conduct experiments, they must prepare various instruments and consumables in advance - this has a direct instrumental purpose. However, many scientists will perform some seemingly useless activities before work, such as performing a simple dance, listening to specific songs, etc. These activities are rituals. [6]

Secondly, rituals usually involve a series of formal, repeatable actions. [4,5] Take the Spring Festival for example. Activities such as steaming flower buns, making dumplings, and pasting Spring Festival couplets all involve relatively standardized, repeatable activities. When people do these things, their attitudes are also different from those in daily activities.

Finally, the ceremony must have symbolic significance. [4,5] Take the opening ceremony of the Olympics for example. The passing of the torch and the lighting of the Olympic flame easily remind people of the everlasting spirit of sports and make them feel that this moment is precious. These associations confirm the symbolic significance of the lighting ceremony.

So, what are the benefits of such unique behavior?

03What are the benefits of a sense of ritual

For individuals, the unique movements of rituals can divert attention, reduce negative thoughts, and increase people’s sense of control. [4] Many studies have shown that participating in rituals can reduce anxiety, grief, and psychological stress. [7] If the ritual involves certain intense movements, such as chanting and dancing, it can also activate the nervous system, stimulate the secretion of hormones such as endorphins, and directly produce positive emotions. [8]

Image source: Xinhua News Agency

At the group level, collective rituals require people to gather together and share their feelings, which greatly increases intimacy. [9] Furthermore, the pleasure caused by hormones such as endorphins can create positive connections among the people present. [10] Many studies have confirmed that participating in rituals together can bring people closer together and enhance group cohesion; for families, frequent rituals can increase couples’ satisfaction with their marriage. [11]

04 How to have your own sense of ritual?

At this point, some readers will definitely ask: How can we have a sense of ritual?

One way is to directly participate in ready-made rituals, such as going home for festivals or participating in some folk activities during holidays. Another way is to create your own unique rituals.

As mentioned earlier, the benefits of rituals are mainly related to actions, and ritual actions do not need to be complicated. A 2017 study showed that as long as you pay attention to three aspects, you can get a sense of ritual from your daily behavior:

The first is the autonomous experience - "I am not forced to meet anyone's requirements, but I take the initiative to do so";

The second is a sense of purpose – “this thing satisfies some of my needs”;

The third is identity – “this series of actions that prove who I am”.[12]

Therefore, in order to create a sense of ritual, you must ask yourself what you want, and then take the initiative to perform a series of actions, paying attention to your own feelings.

For example, a person may be used to traveling during holidays to get rid of the constraints brought by daily work. Then, after the holiday, you can print out the travel photos, put them in a specially prepared album, and then write a travel diary, "What unforgettable things I encountered during the trip, these feelings show what kind of person I am." Another example is that a person may be used to reuniting with family. Then, consider the needs of family members, buy some small gifts, and package them yourself. Find a time, put down your mobile phones, give each other gifts, and talk about the stories behind the gifts.

Conclusion

To put it bluntly, the key to ritual sense lies in feeling. Although feelings vary, they are not without rules. As long as you master the corresponding knowledge, you can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Author: Zhao Yanchang, member of China Science Writers Association

Reviewer: Tang Yicheng, Secretary General of the Psychology Popularization Committee of the Chinese Psychological Society

Produced by: Science Popularization China

References

[1] Social Marketing News. New Trends in Holiday Marketing in 2023 [EB/OL]//Sina.com. (2023-02-16) [2024-12-13]. https://t.cj.sina.cn/articles/view/5633596000/14fc9da6002702oa84?from=tech.

[2] Wang Zhiwei. 90% of the young people interviewed will take the initiative to create a sense of ritual [N/OL]. China Youth Daily, 2023-06-15 [2024-12-15]. http://zqb.cyol.com/html/2023-06/15/nw.D110000zgqnb_20230615_4-10.htm.

[3] Jian Gongbo. 53% of people are willing to pay for “ritual sense”: improving the quality of life or another round of “IQ tax”? [EB/OL]//Shangguan News. (2023-03-17)[2024-12-15]. https://www.shobserver.com/staticsg/res/html/web/newsDetail.html?id=593300&v=1.4&sid=67.

[4] Ran Yaxuan, Wei Haiying, Li Qing, et al. Human ritual from a psychological perspective: a repetitive action with profound meaning[J/OL]. Advances in Psychological Science, 2018, 26(1): 169. DOI:10.3724/SP.J.1042.2018.00169.

[5] HOBSON NM, SCHROEDER J, RISEN JL, et al. The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework[J/OL]. Personality and Social Psychology Review: An Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc, 2018, 22(3): 260-284. DOI:10.1177/1088868317734944.

[6] POWELL K. Behavior: A lookout for luck[J/OL]. Nature, 2017, 551(7679): 261-263. DOI:10.1038/nj7679-261a.

[7] NORTON MI, GINO F. Rituals alleviate grieving for loved ones, lovers, and lotteries.[J/OL]. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2014, 143(1): 266-272. DOI:10.1037/a0031772.

[8] DUNBAR RIM, KASKATIS K, MACDONALD I, et al. Performance of Music Elevates Pain Threshold and Positive Affect: Implications for the Evolutionary Function of Music[J/OL]. Evolutionary Psychology, 2012, 10(4): 688-702. DOI:10.1177/147470491201000403.

[9] WATSON-JONES RE, LEGARE C H. The Social Functions of Group Rituals[J]. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2016, 25(1): 42-46.

[10] TARR B, LAUNAY J, COHEN E, et al. Synchrony and exertion during dance independently raise pain threshold and encourage social bonding[J/OL]. Biology Letters, 2015, 11(10): 20150767. DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2015.0767.

[11] FIESE BH, TOMCHO TJ, DOUGLAS M, et al. A review of 50 years of research on naturally occurring family routines and rituals: Cause for celebration?[J/OL]. Journal of Family Psychology, 2002, 16(4): 381-390. DOI:10.1037/0893-3200.16.4.381.

[12] REYNOLDS C, ERIKSON E. Agency, Identity, and the Emergence of Ritual Experience[J].