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PODCAST

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality

While 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

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All Episodes

45:11

Losing Our Religion or Finding What Matters?

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/07/20

As more Americans move away from organized religion, the moral and emotional needs once met by faith communities remain. What can secular society borrow from spiritual traditions — ritual, meaning, belonging and moral imagination — to nourish the human spirit and strengthen our shared civic life? In this conversation, recorded live at the 2025 Aspen Ideas Festival, Dave explores how sacred wisdom can still guide character, compassion, and community in a post-religious age with Krista

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34:16

Speaking in Tongues

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/06/29

The spiritual practice of speaking in tongues –a form of communication with the divine through speaking words in an unknown or unrecognizable language– has invited a lot of speculation and skepticism over the years. To many, it seems like the stuff of horror movies, or old-timey religious revivals. But charismatic Christianity, for which speaking in tongues is a central practice, is one of the fastest growing Christian movements in modern history. So why has it not only persisted, but

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41:03

The Soul and Science of Prayer

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/06/15

What is prayer? And why do it? People pray for all kinds of reasons, and in all kinds of ways: alone, together, aloud, in silence, from memory, or from instinct. But whatever form it takes, there’s a reason prayer has been part of just about every spiritual tradition out there: its effects run deep. On this episode, we’re digging into the science and spirit of prayer. We’ll talk to neuroscientist Andrew Newberg about what prayer does to our minds and bodies, and how it helps shape us as

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51:23

Of God and Men

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/06/01

There's a lot of talk these days about a crisis of masculinity. But is it a genuine problem or just another culture war talking point? In this special episode, we’ll talk to writer and researcher Richard Reeves about the real and worrying data around the male struggle for meaning and purpose, and what role community and ritual can play in helping men find answers. We’ll also hear from Dr. Russell Moore and Pastor Rasool Berry about how and why religion can help support men, but also the

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34:59

Adolescence: How to Build an Adult (From the Archive)

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/05/18

Hey listeners, we'll be back in two weeks with a special episode looking at the multiple challenges facing men in America today. But while you wait, we wanted to share an episode from Season 2 of our show that feels especially relevant to that conversation. Think of it as a prequel or primer, because part of the problem, and possibly part of the solution, may have to do with how boys become men in the first place. We hope you enjoy!When you’re a teenager, you’re kind of between two worlds

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40:25

The Conscious Cosmos

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/05/04

For centuries, Western science and philosophy have struggled to explain what consciousness is and where it comes from. What if the answer to both those questions is: everything?On this episode, we dive into panpsychism: the idea that consciousness may not be limited to humans, or even living beings, but could be a basic property of reality itself. We’ll talk to philosopher Philip Goff about why this idea is gaining attention in academic circles, and to theologian Joanna Leidenhag about how

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35:12

Found By Faith

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/04/20

People find faith or change faiths for many reasons: marriage, raising a family, dealing with grief or crisis. But sometimes it happens the other way around… faith finds you. A believing takes hold, a sense that something divine is there. And maybe not in the way or role that you might have expected. It’s not uncommon. Data show that these types of experiences happen to about 30% of people. On this episode we’ll talk to one of these people –New York Times columnist and best selling author

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31:05

Fasting for the Soul

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/04/06

Many would agree there are few things better than sharing a delicious meal with the people you love, which is one reason why breaking bread together is a cornerstone of religions the world over. But so too is the opposite - going without food. From Ramadan to Yom Kippur to Lent, fasting is an important ritual in many faiths. But why do so many religions periodically take away the very thing that nourishes our bodies and souls? On this episode we'll talk with Khalil-Abdur Rashid about the

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35:22

Origins of Belief

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/03/23

We often think of belief as a religious or cultural idea that is a hallmark of modern humans. But what if the early sparks of belief burned in our ancestors’ minds long before modern humans walked the earth? What if beliefs about some of the biggest questions out there, like what happens after death, weren’t just pondered by Homo sapiens?On this episode, evolutionary anthropologist Agustín Fuentes takes us on a journey spanning millions of years, from our primate relatives in the deep past

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36:07

Marriage, Monogamy and the Modern Mind

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/03/09

When it comes to finding happiness, many religions see marriage as the gold standard: a path to love, stability, and fulfillment. But is that really true? And if so, why are marriage rates plummeting in so many parts of the world?In this episode, we’ll talk to anthropologist Joseph Henrich about the surprising history of marriage and monogamy, including how these institutions helped lay the groundwork for much of our modern way of life. We’ll also speak with psychologist Geoff MacDonald

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01:49

Season 8 Trailer

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/03/02

Join us for Season 8 of How God Works, starting next week!

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39:23

Every Breath You Take (From the Archive)

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/02/23

We'll be back with a whole new season of How God Works on March 9th. But in the meantime, we wanted to share shows from our archives that speak to some of the most pressing challenges we're all facing today. It’s only February, and already this has been an intense year. So if you’re feeling stressed today, how about… a breather?It’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

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38:37

Moving Beyond Us vs Them (From the Archive)

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/02/09

We'll be back with a whole new season of How God Works starting in early March. But in the meantime, we wanted to share a few shows from our archives that speak to some of the most pressing challenges we're all facing today.Hate 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

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36:08

Religion and Robots and AI … Oh My! (From the Archive)

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/01/26

Artificial Intelligence, and its possible applications to religion, have been in the news a lot lately, so while we're busy working on Season 8, we thought we'd share this episode from 2022 with you.Can 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

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39:46

Why Spirituality is Important in our Increasingly...

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2025/01/12

Faith has always been a strong force in human history – but in modern times, it may feel antiquated to have it. This is an episode of the How to Be a Better Human podcast in which Dave talks about his research exploring questions of faith, his findings, and why we shouldn’t leave spiritual wisdom behind, even in the age of science. Hosted by comedian Chris Duffy, How to Be a Better Human features conversations that uncover sharp insights and give clear takeaways on how you can improve your

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36:53

Finding Holiday Happiness

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2024/12/15

The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy. But all too often, the darker, colder days of winter, and even the stress of preparing for the holidays themselves, can lead people to feel something else: rushed, stressed, lonely, or even hopeless. How can you make sure this year is bright? Science shows that there's a wisdom to parts of traditional winter celebrations – a wisdom that's been honed over centuries to help us all find light, joy, and connection during the darkest and coldest

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36:04

Finding Hope in Dark Times (From the Archive)

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2024/12/08

This episode from 2023 is one of our all-time listener favorites. We're sharing it again for anyone who may have missed it, or could do with a refresher! Surveys 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

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38:54

The Bad Place

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2024/11/24

Lots of religions embrace the idea of hell – a place of eternal punishment for wrong doers. But where did that idea come from? How has it changed through time? And how does a belief in it (or not) affect us while we’re alive? We’ll talk with Bart Ehrman about the history of beliefs in hell from ancient Mesopotamia through modern Christianity. And with Shadi Hamid about why he thinks it can be a good thing for people to believe in hell, and how that belief shapes our political and social

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35:30

Near Death Experiences

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2024/11/10

People have been having Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) all over the world for as long as we can look back into history. And the strange thing is… these experiences seem to have a lot in common. Why? Is it a look into the afterlife? Is it just our neurons firing in weird ways as the brain dies? We’ll talk to psychiatrist Bruce Greyson, one of the world’s leading experts on Near-Death Experiences, about the research that led him to rethink his understanding of the nature of life, death, and

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37:08

So You say You’re a Cynic

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality ·

2024/10/27

There’s no question we’re living in difficult times that lead many of us to adopt a cynical outlook. But while cynicism might feel smart, science shows it’s corrosive not only to our own wellbeing, but to society as a whole. We’ll talk to Stanford Professor of Psychology Jamil Zaki about the surprising benefits that a willingness to trust in the goodness of others can offer, and how to build this skill in a wise way through habits of mind and action.We’ll also speak with political writer

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