Measuring Ritual in the Field: The Short-/Long-term of Effects Ritual Behavior on Stress in Mauritius
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | Religiosity plays an important role in well-being, and studies demonstrate the positive effects of ritual participation on health. One mechanism suggested for mediating these effects is anxiety reduction, but available evidence is self-reported and correlational. Furthermore, this hypothesized relationship does not take into account extreme rituals which often involve risky behaviors. We conducted two studies to explore the relationship between rituals and anxiety in Mauritius; one a low-arousal ritual prayer and the other a naturally occurring extreme ritual. We collected physiological measurements of stress, motion-capture technology to quantify ritualization, and self-reports to assess perceived stress and well-being. We found that ritual behavior leads to short- and long-term perceived stress reduction, but there were no long-term health benefits as assessed by the physiological measurements. These findings offer a more nuanced understanding of ritual’s role in stress management. |
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