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Space crews, athletes and pop stars all indulge in strange rituals before moments of high stress. It’s easy to mock these behaviors — indeed even the people who practice them often admit they’re a bit weird — but they can act like performance enhancing drugs.

Dr. Laurie Santos looks at the research to show why creating a good luck ritual can make us perform better and feel calmer, happier, and more confident when faced with life’s big moments.

The Host

Dr. Laurie Santos

Dr. Laurie Santos is Professor of Psychology and Head of Silliman College at Yale University. Professor and podcast host Dr. Laurie Santos is an expert on human cognition and the…