Shows / How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
While religion and science often seem at odds, there’s one thing they can agree on: people who take part in spiritual practices tend to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. The big question is: Why? In How God Works, professor Dave DeSteno takes us on a journey to find out how spirituality impacts our minds and bodies, as well as the world in which we live.He speaks to leading scientists and philosophers, religious thinkers, and thought leaders to explore what we can learn from the…
Episodes
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Modern Witchcraft
Do you feel connected to nature’s rhythms and the peace that they provide? Are cooking, crafting, or other small daily rituals a form of spell work or…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Tiny Religions
Ever heard of the Bartonian Metaphysical Society? How about the Druze? If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t. On this episode, we ask: What’s it…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
U.F.Whoa!
Religion is often about powerful beings coming down from the skies and humans yearning to go up to join them. Does that mean we can swap aliens in for God?…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
The Power of Pilgrimage
What makes a trip a pilgrimage? And why have people from across the globe made these treks for millennia? Is it the destination that makes these journeys so…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Is War Holy?
Is religion a source of conflict, or a way to end it? From the tragic situation in the Middle East to rising Christian Nationalism in the US, it might seem the…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Season 6 Trailer
Join us for Season 6 of How God Works, starting next week!
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
How God Works Presents: No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp
Hey How God Works listeners! While we’re hard at work on Season 6, we’d like to invite you to check out No Small Endeavor, a podcast that explores what it…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Finding Hope in Dark Times
Surveys show feelings of sadness and despair peaked in 2023. So as we look to the new year, it's understandable why any of us might be feeling pessimistic…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Religion & Mental Health Part 2: Addiction
When it comes to treating addiction, twelve-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous are some of the most often used in the US. But while twelve-step programs…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Religion & Mental Health Part 1: Psychotherapy
For most of the past 200 years, religion and psychiatry didn’t get along too well. Or so the story goes. But if you go back far enough, the two have more in…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Every Breath You Take
It’s no accident that the Hebrew word for breath is the same as the word for spirit (ruach). Breath doesn’t just give us life: it helps regulate everything…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Touching the Transcendent
We’ve all heard of spiritual experiences – moments of feeling intense awe and deep love and connection. People who’ve had them – and it’s a lot more than you…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Introducing: Mother is a Question
Today we’re featuring an episode from the new PRX podcast Mother is a Question. What is Unteachable about Mothering? Our journey into this territory of…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
From Two Spirit to Bissu, Gender Diversity Has Deep Roots
Around the world, gender diversity isn't the exception; it's fairly common. It’s also not a new invention. Many indigenous societies have long recognized a…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Queer and Here!
Christianity and Judaism have had long standing theological concerns with LGBTQ+ issues. BUT from the Vatican to certain Jewish denominations, there are…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Seeking Silence
When’s the last time you actually heard silence? We’re flooded with noise everyday, so much so that we don’t even realize it. And it's not just bad for our…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Season 5 of How God Works is Coming
How God Works is coming back to your feed on September 24th! Tune in this season as we tackle topics like the value of silence, how different faiths view…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Is Burning Man a Party or a Pilgrimage? (2022)
Every year, thousands of people head to Nevada's Black Rock Desert for a week at Burning Man. And while from the outside, it might seem like a place for…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Soul-ercise
The lights are dimmed, candles are lit, bodies begin to sway together as the voice from the stage says a spirit-lifting, soul-stirring affirmation…and then…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
What’s Old is New Again
It's not news that the US is becoming more secular. People have been drifting away from religion for decades, and that trend is accelerating right now in…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Can Ancient Wisdom Help Gen Z's Stress & Unhappiness?
This episode is an edited version of a live event held at WBUR’s Cityspace on May 15, 2023. A full-length video of the event is available here. For decades…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Moving Beyond Us vs Them
Hate and prejudice based on ethnicity, religion, gender and sexual orientation are all too common in our world. But are we doomed to be this way? Or is it…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Sacred Sound
Music has the power to transform and connect us, no matter our native tongue. In many ways, it's a language unto itself. It ties us to memories...to…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
The Flow of Craft
What do we get out of making things with our hands? Traditions the world over incorporate crafts into their religious practice, and for secular people, that…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
God is Green
Were the Earth and all its resources created just for our benefit? Do plants and animals exist solely for us to consume? Or should we be viewing our role on…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
The Power of Awe
Awe fills us with wonder -- we feel small in the face of things that seem vast, inspiring, almost beyond comprehension. So it makes sense that spiritual…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Season 4 Trailer
Season 4 is coming on Sunday, April 2!Can learning to experience awe more often be good for us? Does learning to make pottery, sing in a choir, or play a group…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
From The Happiness Lab: Yoga of the Mind
While we’re working on Season 4, we wanted to share a special episode from another podcast we love, The Happiness Lab. On The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
How to be a Great Ancestor
What do we owe future humans? In principle, it seems obvious that we should do what we can to make life better for the generations that follow, just as our…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Grief: Moving Through Loss (2022)
Sooner or later, most of us experience grief from losing someone we love. It’s always painful, and sometimes even debilitating. But there is plenty we can do…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Uniter or Divider? Explore Religion in Modern America. A How God Works Live Event.
If you ask people what they think about religion, you often get one of two answers: Religion is the source of war, violence, abuse, and hypocrisy OR a route to…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
A Holiday from Tech Addiction
Time with family, friends and loved ones is supposed to be at the center of the holiday season… but in our screen-dominated world, how many of us can say…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
How to Forgive
‘Tis the season for giving and…forgiving. But while forgiveness is something to which we often aspire, it can be harder than it seems at times. It's human to…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
How God Works Live Event!
Join us for the very first How God Works live event this Wednesday, December 7th at 7:30pm, at The Greene Space in New York.For tickets and more information…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
How to Fix Work
Work is becoming a “religion” for many people these days. It’s worship of the efficient, productive, and almighty dollar. But that doesn’t make people very…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Religion and Robots and AI…Oh My!
Can you pray with a robot? Will people worship AI like a god? It's not science fiction. It's starting to happen now. But what does it mean if robots become…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Making God Real
Have you ever heard a voice, seen an image, or felt a presence around you that you couldn’t explain? If you have, you’re not alone. More people than you might…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
How God Works Live Event!
Join us for the very first How God Works live event on Wednesday, December 7 at The Greene Space in New York.For tickets and more information, click here.If…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Is Burning Man a Party or a Pilgrimage?
Every year, thousands of people head to Nevada's Black Rock Desert for a week at Burning Man. And while from the outside, it might seem like a place for…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Season Three Trailer
How God Works will be back with Season 3 starting October 16th! This season we’ll continue to explore some of life’s deepest questions through science and…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Death: Embracing the Last Transition
As a society that fears death, we tend to avoid the subject. But the key to having a positive end-of-life experience might come in doing just the opposite. On…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Grief: Moving Through Loss
Sooner or later, most of us experience grief from losing someone we love. It’s always painful, and sometimes even debilitating. But there is plenty we can do…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Midlife: Leaning Into the Change
Data shows that for many people, happiness takes a big dip around 50. But aging doesn’t have to be a crisis if we can figure out how to embrace who we’re…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Relationships and Marriage: Finding the Right Balance
The definition of a “good” marriage has changed drastically over time and today it seems our expectations for our partner are higher than ever. We want a best…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Adolescence: How to Build an Adult
When you're a teenager, you're kind of between two worlds. You're leaving the comforts and carefree days of childhood behind and stepping into the challenges…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Childhood: Growing the Moral Muscle
Do children need religion to grow into ethical, caring adults? Sixty-five percent of Americans think so, but the relationship between religion and morality is…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Birth: Getting Off to Good Start
For all the joys a new child brings, it can also be a trying time filled with stresses, worries, and for some, depression. Long before new parents turned to…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
New Year, New You, Take 2!
Struggling with your New Year's resolution already? You're not alone! By this time every year, more than 25% of resolutions have already been broken. In this…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Pain: The Benefits of Suffering
Across the world, people accept pain in the name of God. Whether through painful public rituals or private sacrifices, suffering plays a role in many faiths…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Giving Alms: Why Everybody Wins
December concludes a season of gifts for many. And while it's undeniably enjoyable to get gifts, it’s not what brings us the most happiness. It turns out…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Healing Rituals: There’s Power in Belief
A majority of people in the US believe that faith can heal. And while there isn’t any strong scientific data backing the idea of faith healing by divine…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Transcendence: Why Chemicals Need Rituals
For centuries, Central and South American cultures have used psychedelics to induce mystical states. And while in the US they’ve mostly been used as…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Gratitude: Why Every Day Should Be Thanksgiving
Most people think gratitude is an emotion about the past. But in reality, it’s all about the future. Science shows it makes people more honest, more generous…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Contemplating Death: A Secret for Happiness
COVID-19 has led to what’s being called The Great Resignation. People are leaving their jobs in record numbers, many to find more meaning in life or to spend…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Meditation: A Key to Kindness?
We all value kindness. But showing it isn’t always easy. Buddhists recognized this problem long ago and developed what may be the world’s first and best tool…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Religion's Toolbox
Research shows that spiritual practices tend to make people happier and healthier. The question is: Why? Join Dave and his guests, Casper ter Kuile from the…
- How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
Season 1 Trailer
Coming October 3 from PRX Productions.