How to Benefit From Religion, Even as a Nonbeliever | David DeSteno
10% Happier with Dan Harris
10% Media, LLC
4.6 • 12.9K Ratings
🗓️ 15 November 2021
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Dr. David DeSteno has embarked on a project he calls "religio-prospecting." In other words, he has been looking at the scientific evidence that many ancient religious traditions can confer all sorts of benefits, whether you're a believer or not. He points out that many secular people practice mindfulness, even if they're not Buddhists. His question is - what's the next mindfulness?
David DeSteno is a professor of psychology at Northeastern University, where he directs the Social Emotions Group, and the author of a new book called How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion, and is the host of a new podcast on PRX, also called "How God Works." This episode explores David's desire to study the benefits of religious practice in a scientific way and the evidence behind such practices as: sitting shiva, gratitude, the Apache sunrise ceremony, and Japanese Shinto rituals around childbirth.
Subscribe by December 1 to get 40% off a Ten Percent Happier subscription! Click here for your discount.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/david-desteno-397
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is the 10% happier podcast. |
| 0:07.0 | I'm Dan Harris. |
| 0:11.7 | Hello my fellow suffering beings. |
| 0:13.7 | Welcome to the show. |
| 0:14.8 | A lot of people think it's a very good thing that the Western world is becoming increasingly |
| 0:19.4 | secular. |
| 0:20.8 | No matter where you happen to stand on this, sometimes controversial question and no |
| 0:24.8 | matter whether you're a believer or a non-believer, it isn't intriguing to consider that there may |
| 0:29.5 | be some key benefits that many of us are missing out on as organized religion fades in many |
| 0:35.5 | parts of the world. |
| 0:37.6 | My guest today is a scientist who has embarked upon a project that he calls religion prospecting. |
| 0:44.0 | In other words, he's been looking at the scientific evidence that many ancient religious practices |
| 0:49.6 | can confer all sorts of benefits, whether you're a believer or not. |
| 0:53.7 | He points out correctly that many secular people practice mindfulness even if they're not |
| 0:57.3 | Buddhists. |
| 0:58.3 | And his question is, what is the next mindfulness? |
| 1:01.8 | David Dasteno is a professor of psychology at Northeastern University where he directs |
| 1:06.4 | the social emotions group. |
| 1:09.2 | I was reading his official bio the other day and I liked these sentences. |
| 1:14.4 | He provides some nice color on what he studies. |
| 1:17.7 | His work examines the mechanisms of the mind that shape vice and virtue, studying hypocrisy |
| 1:22.8 | and compassion, pride and punishment, cheating and trust. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from 10% Media, LLC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of 10% Media, LLC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.