For thousands of years, people have turned to religion to answer questions about how to lead a happy, moral, and fulfilling life,

how to meet life's challenges, and how to be resilient in the face of hardship.

And for many people, religion's answers have proven satisfying.

A 2019 Pew Research poll found that people who described themselves as

actively religious, those who were affiliated with a religion and attended religious services

regularly, were more likely to say that they were very happy than people who didn't go to services

or who were unaffiliated with any organized religion. Why is that? How do

the structures and traditions of religion contribute to people's health, happiness, and well-being?

What can behavioral scientists learn from studying the religious rituals that scaffold people's

lives, from birth to coming of age, to marriage, to death.

And can those lessons be applied outside the context of religious belief?

What about the perennial question that pits science against religion?

Can one be a scientist and still believe in a higher power?

Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association

that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

My guest today is Dr. David Destano, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University in Boston,

where he directs the Social Emotions Lab. Dr. Disteno studies the ways in which people's emotions

influence their social behavior and moral decision-making, in areas including trust, altruism,

cooperation, resilience, dishonesty, and prejudice.

In recent years, he's been particularly interested in what behavioral science can learn from religious traditions

about how to help people improve their well-being and lead happier lives.

...