How God Works Quotes

“eighth-century Buddhist teacher Shantideva: “If a problem can be solved, what reason is there to be upset? If there is no possible solution, what use is there being sad?”
― David DeSteno, How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion

“The links between faith and decreased anxiety can even be seen at the neurological level. For example, scientists have shown how belief calms activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)—a part of the brain associated with what we might call “alarm bell” experiences. When we feel annoyed or threatened, certain patterns of activity in the ACC intensify. These are the same patterns that ramp up in those suffering from anxiety disorders, and they’re also ones that are reduced by alcohol and medications like Valium and Xanax.”
― David DeSteno, How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion

“If you’re a parent looking for ways to foster good character in your kids, create an environment that encourages these emotions. Show that it’s okay to ask for help and important to show gratitude for it. Teach that taking time to enjoy the beauty of nature or to recognize the good in others is worthwhile. And most important, ritualize these activities. Make it a point to read an elevating story about someone at a set time every week. Set aside a time for milk and cookies when everyone talks about things that made them feel gratitude during the past week. And try to combine as many elements simultaneously as you can. For example, recite a favorite poem about kindness or gratitude together out loud. While the result might not be as finely tuned a package as many religions use, it will still help you shape your children’s character while also nudging your own. You can magnify the effect of these rituals by drawing in people beyond your family circle whenever you can. As I noted above, children usually start learning about what God and society expect of them via prayer and rituals when they are between five and seven years of age. By that point, the importance of feeling connection with their peers is growing as well. Rituals can foster morality by enhancing these bonds—bonds that will help foster character development through positive peer pressure and support.”
― David DeSteno, How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion

“Unless you’re an actor onstage, believing one thing but behaving in a way that contradicts it makes you feel stress. To dispel that stress, you can do one of two things: change your behaviors to match your beliefs, or change your beliefs to match your behaviors. But in the case of public behaviors that you can’t easily take back, like proselytizing the end of the world due to extraterrestrials, giving up beliefs can become quite difficult. And so people find ways to protect them.”
― David DeSteno, How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion

“This illusory truth bias happens because the brain uses the ease with which we can retrieve something from memory as an indication of its likelihood. If you’ve seen or experienced something before, it’s easier to recognize, and thus seems more likely to be true or to happen again. And the more times you see or hear it, the truer it rings. Imagine, then, the power that daily or weekly recitations of creeds and prayers can have on belief.”
― David DeSteno, How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion