The Science of Rituals, Part One: 5 Small Reasons They Help You Do Big Things

Every morning, I follow the same sequence. Dogs out. Breakfast. Coffee. Then I sit in the same chair in my quiet house, phone on silent, and close my eyes. Three long, deep breaths. Each one releases distraction and invites focus. Only then do I begin to write.

This is a ritual. It’s the anchor of my writing practice.

I discovered this pattern through years of writing books and articles, through trial and error, through noticing what worked when words came easily and what was missing when they didn’t. More recently I’ve found there’s good science to suggest that you can find a ritual that’s effective for you, too.

When people are stuck on something hard, like a project, a paper, or a performance, they often assume the answer is more effort. Try harder. Push through. But what if getting challenging things done depended less on how hard you try and more on HOW you try hard? (My book The Effort Myth shows parents how to do this from elementary age through college.)

How Rituals Help Your Brain Handle Hard Things

Rituals are now being studied not just in religious or cultural contexts but also in workplaces, classrooms, and performance settings. Across multiple recent studies, researchers are finding that rituals can help people manage anxiety, increase focus, and recover faster from mistakes—all crucial ingredients for persistence and follow-through. Here’s how:

Rituals quiet your brain’s error alarm. A 2017 neuroscience study asked participants to perform a short, novel ritual for one week and then complete a difficult executive function task while their brain activity was monitored using EEG. The results? Ritual practice significantly reduced the brain’s error-related negativity (ERN). This is the neural signal that fires when we make mistakes, making us cringe. Think of the ERN as your brain’s built-in cringe response.
Rituals can turn the volume down on negativity signals, helping you stay engaged instead of stuck in self-criticism. Even though overall performance didn’t change, participants’ brains with less ERN were less reactive to errors. A student who freezes after getting the first math problem wrong, or a professional who abandons a presentation after stumbling over an opening line can use ritual to free up cognitive resources for staying engaged.
Ritualized behaviors enhance self-control and composure when pressure is high. For challenging tasks where focus and impulse management are key, such as studying for an exam, writing a difficult email, or tackling a hard conversation, ritualized preparation may help people stay grounded and task-directed rather than avoidant and distracted.
Rituals create entry points into deep work. In 2022, researchers studying workplace performance found that daily work rituals, distinct from automatic habits, supported people in entering a flow state more easily. This improved their task outcomes. These rituals were often simple but consistent: clearing the desk before starting, lighting a candle, or saying a quiet intention. They’re the mental equivalent of a starter’s pistol: a clear signal that says, “Now we begin.”
Rituals make tedious work feel meaningful. A 2021 series of five studies involving roughly 1,100 participants revealed that shared workplace rituals, from team check-ins to celebratory routines, enhanced the meaningfulness of work. That increased sense of meaning predicted greater discretionary effort and persistence. This may explain why some teams thrive with regular standup meetings while others find them pointless: the ritual element transforms routine into connection.

Rituals act as psychological entry points, helping the brain transition from distraction to engagement.

Now that you understand why rituals work, you’re ready to learn how to design ones that work for YOU. In Part 2, we’ll explore how to create rituals tailored to your specific challenges while avoiding the common mistakes that make them feel like empty busywork.