How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality
65 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 15 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 82 ratingsWhile 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 world’s faith traditions to help us meet some of life’s biggest challenges. Along the way, he’ll look at how we can adapt and use spiritual practices in our own lives, whatever our beliefs, including none at all.
It’s by working across the boundaries that usually divide us – science versus religion, one faith versus another – that we’ll find new ways to make life better for everyone.
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Episodes
A Holiday From Tech Addiction (2022)
July 14, 2024 09:00 - 39 minutes - 89.8 MBWe've had a lot of new listeners join us of the past year, so while we're hard at work on our next season, we thought we'd share some favorites you might have missed from the archives. Since this episode was first published, the Surgeon General has issued an advisory about the effects of social media on youth mental health, and, more recently, called for warning label on all social media platforms. Time with family, friends and loved ones is supposed to be at the center of the hol...
How God Works Survey!
June 24, 2024 09:00 - 32 seconds - 1.25 MBHey Listeners, as we plan future seasons, we'd love to know what you appreciate most about the show... and what you think we can improve or would like to see us cover. If you have five minutes to spare, please consider responding to our audience survey. Thanks!
The Spiritual (and Political) Crisis in the US
June 10, 2024 09:00 - 39 minutes - 89.6 MBHey Listeners, we also want to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to fill out our audience survey and be a part of shaping future seasons. Anger, loneliness, and despair are hitting record levels in the US. Our social and political fabrics are fraying. Is the turn away from religion in the US part of the problem? And if so, might a spiritual renaissance (even among the secular left) help us find new ways to flourish? Join Dave as he talks with podcast host Krista Tippett and...
Live Event: Can Religion & Science Get Along in the 21st Century?
May 27, 2024 10:00 - 50 minutes - 115 MBScience and religion can often seem at loggerheads. But does it have to be that way? Dr. Francis Collins, one of the world’s leading scientists, doesn’t think so. As an internationally renowned geneticist, a recent past director of the US National Institutes of Health (where he helped guide the U.S. response to COVID), and an avowed Christian, he’s a leading voice for how and why belief in God can be rational, and for a greater openness to science among Evangelical Christians. In a...
How God Works… for Animals?
May 13, 2024 10:00 - 36 minutes - 84.1 MBWhen it comes to how we treat other animals, humanity’s track record is spotty at best. Has it always been that way? And how do the beliefs we hold about animals shape how we treat them? Are they really as different from us as Western culture has long suggested? Join Dave as he speaks with anthropologist Dave Aftandilian about how different religious traditions may play a role in influencing the way people relate to other animals, and with biologist turned wildlife filmmaker and wr...
Modern Witchcraft
April 29, 2024 09:00 - 29 minutes - 68.2 MBDo 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 spirituality for you? If you’re a witch, the answers are a definite yes. Long in the shadows, Wicca and witchcraft are now on the rise. Join Dave as we explore what’s driving interest in these religions and dispel some of the stereotypes around them. We’ll talk to Thorn Mooney, a Wiccan high priestess and religious studies scholar ...
Tiny Religions
April 15, 2024 10:00 - 37 minutes - 86.3 MBEver 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 like to be a member of a tiny religion in a world dominated by “Big God”? From the early days of new religious movements to the precarious old age of ancient faiths, join Dave as we explore the unique experiences, joys and challenges of being one of the few rather than one of the many. We'll talk to sociologist Susan Jean Palmer...
U.F.Whoa!
April 01, 2024 09:00 - 34 minutes - 78 MBReligion 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? More and more people seem to think so. In fact, many spiritually-minded people are looking to UFOs as opportunities to commune with enlightened alien teachers. Some believe they’re even aliens themselves, sent here to prepare us for a new age. But when religion gets mixed with conspiracy theory, things can sometimes take a darker...
The Power of Pilgrimage
March 18, 2024 09:00 - 36 minutes - 84.5 MBWhat 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 important to so many cultures? Or is it the community and meaning-making that happen along the way? And how are people changed by the experience after they come home? Join Dave as he talks with writer and New York Times contributor Aatish Taseer about what he saw last year when he went on pilgrimages into the hearts of three f...
Is War Holy?
March 04, 2024 09:00 - 32 minutes - 75.5 MBIs 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 former. But for faiths that emphasize love, compassion, and forgiveness, might the latter also be true? Join Dave as he talks with theologian Miroslav Volf about how religion blurs with political identity and violent ideologies, and why the answer to this problem might not be to remove religion from our lives and the public ...
Season 6 Trailer
February 26, 2024 09:00 - 1 minute - 4.19 MBJoin us for Season 6 of How God Works, starting next week!
How God Works Presents: No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp
January 28, 2024 09:00 - 49 minutes - 113 MBHey 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 means to live a good life, hosted by professor of theology and ethics Lee C. Camp.
Finding Hope in Dark Times
December 31, 2023 08:00 - 34 minutes - 78.9 MBSurveys 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, even hopeless. But these feelings aren't written in stone. We always have a choice. It's in these darkest of times, when all feels lost, that hope helps us find our way...not just to heal ourselves, but also the world around us. On this episode, we'll talk with the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof...
Religion & Mental Health Part 2: Addiction
December 17, 2023 08:00 - 36 minutes - 82.9 MBWhen 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 have several components, one of the most central is surrendering control to a higher power. But how important is that idea? Does relying on a divine influence help or hurt? And might there be other routes to recovery? We’ll talk with bestselling author and New York Times opinion writer Maia Szalavitz about what the research on...
Religion & Mental Health Part 1: Psychotherapy
December 03, 2023 08:00 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBFor 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 common than you might think. On this episode, we’ll hear about the deep history of integrating spirituality into mental health treatments, and how it’s being rediscovered today at some of the world’s top mental health facilities. We’ll talk with psychiatrist Rania Awaad about her work reconnecting the Muslim community to Islam...
Every Breath You Take
November 19, 2023 08:00 - 39 minutes - 90.3 MBIt’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 from vital organ functions to cognition and emotional states. That’s why spiritual traditions the world over incorporate it as a practice to help heal body and mind and walk the path towards peace. Join us as we explore the breath’s connection to our nervous system with psychologist and neuroscientist Stephen Porges, creator of ...
Touching the Transcendent
November 05, 2023 08:00 - 34 minutes - 78.3 MBWe’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 might think – see them as some of the most profound moments of their lives. Moments that change them for the better in enduring ways. But what’s going on in our brains when these experiences happen? Do you even need religious beliefs to have them? And, if you’re so inclined, how might you start? Episode Guests: David Yaden is...
Introducing: Mother is a Question
October 29, 2023 09:00 - 46 minutes - 107 MBToday 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 mothering begins. Tasha searches out someone whose deep wisdom about mothering was totally lost on her when they first met ten years ago. Back then, Teourialier Johnson—who Tasha met as “T”—was a teacher of motherhood in an unlikely context. Now, for us, she’s a teacher of so much more, opening to transformation even when it seems ...
From Two Spirit to Bissu, Gender Diversity Has Deep Roots
October 22, 2023 08:00 - 38 minutes - 88.9 MBAround 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 wide variety of gender expressions, and given leadership roles in spiritual life to gender fluid people. And while colonization has often influenced gender norms, leading to discrimination and violence, many of these traditions are still very much alive. Join Dave as he explores the history, present, and future of life beyond the...
Queer and Here!
October 08, 2023 08:00 - 37 minutes - 85.5 MBChristianity and Judaism have had long standing theological concerns with LGBTQ+ issues. BUT from the Vatican to certain Jewish denominations, there are movements afoot to be more open, tolerant, and accepting. In the first of a two-part series on gender and spirituality, we’ll talk with Father James Martin and Rabbi Shira Stutman about the history of discrimination in their traditions and how that’s starting to change. We’ll also take a look at the science behind how religion can d...
Seeking Silence
September 24, 2023 08:00 - 40 minutes - 92.9 MBWhen’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 ears, it's not great for our health or wellbeing either. We’ll take a look at how noise (and its absence) affect the workings of our mind and our emotions. Why silence can make us feel more connected to ourselves and one another, and how spiritual traditions seek to create silent spaces for contemplation and growth. We’ll also as...
Season 5 of How God Works is Coming
September 17, 2023 08:00 - 1 minute - 3.96 MBHow 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 gender and sexuality, the power of mystical experience and connecting to the breath, and much more. And in the meantime, feel free to catch up on older episodes, and rate and review the show wherever you listen.
Is Burning Man a Party or a Pilgrimage? (2022)
August 27, 2023 09:00 - 38 minutes - 87.7 MBEvery 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 partying, drugs, and debauchery, to many, it offers something deeper, even life changing. We’ll ask neuroscientist Molly Crockett and Episcopal minister Alex Leach, both burners themselves: Is Burning Man a new type of spiritual gathering? How and why does it deeply move people? And should more traditional faiths aim to have a bit ...
Soul-ercise
July 09, 2023 09:00 - 34 minutes - 79.9 MBThe 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 screams “Now sprint for 10!”. Group fitness classes have, for many, become something more than just a good way to get the blood pumping and pounds dropping. On this episode we take a look at why exercise classes from Soul Cycle to Crossfit have become some of the most fervent venues for secular spirituality and how some religiou...
What’s Old is New Again
June 25, 2023 09:00 - 33 minutes - 77.1 MBIt'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 people under 40. But there is a small but growing trend in those same generations of people who are seeking just the opposite. These people are looking to older and more orthodox forms of faith to find meaning, purpose, and community even in the face of what many might consider to be more sexist and less tolerant ideas. Join Dave ...
Can Ancient Wisdom Help Gen Z's Stress & Unhappiness?
June 11, 2023 09:00 - 45 minutes - 103 MBThis 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, studies from around the globe showed that happiness followed a U-shaped curve across the lifespan. For many people, the teens and twenties were some of the happiest and most carefree times of life — a period to be enjoyed before happiness began to drop and hit its low point around 50. BUT, over the past 10 years, a seismic chan...
Moving Beyond Us vs Them
May 28, 2023 09:00 - 38 minutes - 87.2 MBHate 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 possible to create a world where cooperation and peace are the norm? Join Dave as he talks to NYU professor Jay van Bavel about the deeper mechanisms at work when it comes to group conflict (and how to avoid it), and with Zen Buddhism teacher Larry Ward about how the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and the Plum Village Tradition can...
Sacred Sound
May 14, 2023 09:00 - 38 minutes - 87.9 MBMusic 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 people....to places. It heals us, promotes compassion and empathy. It unites us not only to each other, but according to many people, perhaps even to something greater. On this episode we’ll take a look at what’s going on in our brains and bodies when we sing sacred songs together... or listen to jazz. And why from Jewish nigunim to J...
The Flow of Craft
April 30, 2023 09:00 - 35 minutes - 82.2 MBWhat 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 experience of getting “in the zone” while weaving or working with wood or clay can also feel meditative, even spiritual. So maybe it’s worth asking: Is there a craftsperson in all of us that we should occasionally step away from our devices to nurture? And could craft, even for the non-artist, be a way to connect with spiritual...
God is Green
April 16, 2023 09:00 - 37 minutes - 84.8 MBWere 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 this planet differently? When it comes to protecting the environment and addressing climate change, religion has had mixed results. Why is that? With Earth Day almost upon us, we thought it would be the perfect time to take a look at how religion plays into our relationship to the Earth. We’ll talk to psychology professor Jesse...
The Power of Awe
April 02, 2023 09:00 - 29 minutes - 68.5 MBAwe 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 experiences often inspire awe. But new science is showing it can also work the other way around. Awe from any source -- nature's beauty, art and music, even others’ noble acts -- can actually nudge us toward becoming more spiritual -- toward believing in the divine. And along the way, awe offers a host of benefits to support us. Fr...
Season 4 Trailer
March 26, 2023 09:00 - 1 minute - 4.21 MBSeason 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 sport give us some of the same benefits as being part of a religious community? Does being Christian make you more or less likely to taking a stand on climate change? What does Buddhism have to teach us about healing the divisions in this country? And do spiritual traditions hold any answers for addressing the massive menta...
From The Happiness Lab: Yoga of the Mind
March 20, 2023 23:00 - 38 minutes - 88.5 MBWhile 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 explores all the ways we get our happiness wrong and what we can do to really feel better. She walks through the latest evidence-based strategies for improving your mental health, sharing practical advice on what will really bring more joy. In this episode, Laurie looks at what a centuries-old Sanskrit text, The Yoga Sutras...
How to be a Great Ancestor
February 05, 2023 10:00 - 35 minutes - 81.9 MBWhat 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 ancestors did for us. But while most of us agree that doing this is the right thing, it can be hard to put into practice while also avoiding some of the pitfalls that often afflict growing philosophies like effective altruism and longtermism. Join Dave as he speaks to Harvard psychologist and philosopher Joshua Greene about what...
Grief: Moving Through Loss (2022)
January 22, 2023 10:00 - 34 minutes - 78.9 MBSooner 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 to help ourselves and others be resilient. Join Dave as he talks with Columbia University psychologist George Bonanno and Rabbi Angela Buchdahl about ways to promote a healthy mourning process and find a path back to life. George Bonnano’s book The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life ...
Uniter or Divider? Explore Religion in Modern America. A How God Works Live Event.
January 08, 2023 10:00 - 1 hour - 190 MBIf 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 love, kindness, tolerance, and mercy. Put another way, it’s either what divides us or it’s the thing that can actually bring us together. In a country deeply divided over social, political, and moral issues that seems to be moving further apart by the day, the answer’s not likely to be a simple one. How God Works held its fi...
A Holiday from Tech Addiction
December 25, 2022 10:00 - 39 minutes - 89.6 MBTime 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 that’s still true? Our devices are purposefully designed to monopolize our attention and make themselves hard to put down. So even though we know that spending too much time staring at screens is bad for us, the addiction can be hard to break. With the New Year almost upon us, why not try to make a new start? Join Dave as he tries...
How to Forgive
December 11, 2022 10:00 - 32 minutes - 75.2 MB‘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 feel the tension between the urge for revenge and the intent to forgive, especially when the hurt or betrayal is great. That tension shows up in many religions too, though forgiveness usually wins. But it’s not just a religious ideal, it’s also a biological necessity. We’ll talk to evolutionary psychologist Michael McCullough ...
How to Fix Work
November 27, 2022 10:00 - 35 minutes - 81.6 MBWork 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 happy. And organizations filled with miserable employees aren’t ideal for making the world a better place either. Can anything be done to fix it? We’ll talk to Sacred Design Lab co-founder Angie Thurston about how to make workplaces more spiritually nourishing, and to theologian and consultant Curtis Chang about what it means to...
Religion and Robots and AI…Oh My!
November 13, 2022 10:00 - 35 minutes - 81.4 MBCan 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 priests, or AIs start offering ethical advice? And how do we know when to trust them? We’ll talk to MIT social roboticist Cynthia Breazeal about how technology can manipulate our minds and emotions for good or ill, and with religion professor Robert Geraci about how technology is being used in religion, and why AI may need some ...
Making God Real
October 30, 2022 09:00 - 37 minutes - 85.7 MBHave 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 think report having these kinds of experiences. For some, it can be easy to write these off as tricks of the mind. But for others, especially the religious and spiritually-inclined, these events are often transformative and can profoundly alter the way they feel about their faith. So how is it that gods come to feel real to p...
How God Works Live Event!
October 23, 2022 08:00 - 1 minute - 2.44 MBJoin 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 you can’t make it in person, not to worry: we’ll be livestreaming the event too.
How God Works Live Event!
October 23, 2022 08:00 - 1 minute - 2.44 MBJoin 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 you can’t make it in person, not to worry: we’ll be livestreaming the event too.
Is Burning Man a Party or a Pilgrimage?
October 16, 2022 09:00 - 37 minutes - 86.4 MBEvery 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 partying, drugs, and debauchery, to many, it offers something deeper, even life changing. We’ll ask neuroscientist Molly Crockett and Episcopal minister Alex Leach, both burners themselves: Is Burning Man a new type of spiritual gathering? How and why does it deeply move people? And should more traditional faiths aim to have a bit ...
Season Three Trailer
October 02, 2022 09:00 - 1 minute - 3.53 MBHow 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 spirituality. But we’ll also have another big question in mind - What comes next?
Death: Embracing the Last Transition
May 22, 2022 09:00 - 32 minutes - 75.4 MBAs 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 this episode, we’ll hear from philosopher Simon Critchley, Boston-area chaplains Ruth Delfiner, Sarah Byrne-Martelli, and Maude Quinn, and Threshold Choir singer Leigh Davis about what makes a good death, and the many rituals, spiritual or secular, that ease our transition out of this world. Simon Critchley is the author of m...
Grief: Moving Through Loss
May 08, 2022 09:00 - 31 minutes - 72.4 MBSooner 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 to help ourselves and others be resilient. Join Dave as he talks with Columbia University psychologist George Bonanno and Rabbi Angela Buchdahl about ways to promote a healthy mourning process and find a path back to life. George Bonnano’s book The Other Side of Sadness: What the New Science of Bereavement Tells Us About Life ...
Midlife: Leaning Into the Change
April 24, 2022 09:00 - 35 minutes - 82.1 MBData 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 becoming rather than hanging on to who we used to be. If done right, midlife can actually be a time of deepening joy and satisfaction. Join Dave as he talks to The Atlantic columnist Arthur C. Brooks and Swami Tyagananda, head of Boston’s Vedanta Society, about how to move into the second half of our life with grace. To find out m...
Relationships and Marriage (Part 2): Keeping the Fire Burning
April 10, 2022 09:00 - 30 minutes - 70.4 MBTo hear Hollywood tell it, good sex is a clothes-ripping race to the finish line, often between people who barely know each other. But the version we’re getting from movies and pop culture isn’t what it takes to build real intimacy, trust, and connection in the long term. On this episode, we’ll talk to Rachel Alba, a clinical sexologist with a master’s in theology, about the connection between sex and spirituality, and why exploring that link may be key to developing a deeper, more ...
Relationships and Marriage (Part 1): Finding the Right Balance
March 27, 2022 09:00 - 26 minutes - 59.8 MBThe 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 friend, intellectual equal, lover, and for many, a sensational co-parent who can also touch our soul. Which is a lot of pressure to put on one person! On this episode we'll talk to psychologist Eli Finkel, author of The All or Nothing Marriage, about the history, workings, and complications of wedded bliss. We’ll also hear ab...