55 episodes

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 world’s faith traditions to help us meet some of life’s biggest challenges. Along the way, he’ll look at how we can adapt and use spiritual practices in our own lives, whatever our beliefs, including none at all.

It’s by working across the boundaries that usually divide us – science versus religion, one faith versus another – that we’ll find new ways to make life better for everyone.

How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality PRX

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.8 • 122 Ratings

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 world’s faith traditions to help us meet some of life’s biggest challenges. Along the way, he’ll look at how we can adapt and use spiritual practices in our own lives, whatever our beliefs, including none at all.

It’s by working across the boundaries that usually divide us – science versus religion, one faith versus another – that we’ll find new ways to make life better for everyone.

    The Power of Pilgrimage

    The Power of Pilgrimage

    What makes a trip a pilgrimage? And why have people from across the globe made these treks for millennia? Is it the destination that makes these journeys so important to so many cultures? Or is it the community and meaning-making that happen along the way?  And how are people changed by the experience after they come home?

    Join Dave as he talks with writer and New York Times contributor Aatish Taseer about what he saw last year when he went on pilgrimages into the hearts of three faiths. And with psychologist and leading pilgrimage scholar Heather Warfield, about how these treks, even in secular form, can improve mental health and wellbeing.

    Aatish Taseer is the author of A Pilgrimage Year. Special thanks to Aatish for sharing recordings from his travels with us for use in today’s episode. Follow him on X @aatishtaseer and Instagram @aatishalitaseer.

    Heather Warfield is a professor at Antioch University New England. Learn more about her work in the field of Pilgrimage Studies on her website.

    • 36 min
    Is War Holy?

    Is War Holy?

    Is religion a source of conflict, or a way to end it? From the tragic situation in the Middle East to rising Christian Nationalism in the US, it might seem the former. But for faiths that emphasize love, compassion, and forgiveness, might the latter also be true?

    Join Dave as he talks with theologian Miroslav Volf about how religion blurs with political identity and violent ideologies, and why the answer to this problem might not be to remove religion from our lives and the public square, but to have more of it in both. And with anthropologist Benjamin Purzycki about how our views of what God wants can change in the face of conflict.

    Miroslav Volf is a Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and the Director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. Learn more about his work here and check out his podcast For the Life of the World.

    Benjamin Grant Purzycki is an Associate Professor in the Department of the Study of Religion at Aarhus University in Denmark. Learn more about his work here and here.

    • 32 min
    Season 6 Trailer

    Season 6 Trailer

    Join us for Season 6 of How God Works, starting next week!

    • 1 min
    How God Works Presents: No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp

    How God Works Presents: No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp

    Hey How God Works listeners! While we’re hard at work on Season 6, we’d like to invite you to check out No Small Endeavor, a podcast that explores what it means to live a good life, hosted by professor of theology and ethics Lee C. Camp.

    • 49 min
    Finding Hope in Dark Times

    Finding Hope in Dark Times

    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 heal ourselves, but also the world around us.

    On this episode, we'll talk with the Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, about how he remains motivated and hopeful, even while covering some of the most tragic events in recent history. And he’ll offer a little advice for ways we can all rise above despair.

    And we'll talk with Roshi Joan Halifax -- ecologist, civil rights activist, hospice caregiver, and founder of the Upaya Zen Center --  about the Buddhist-informed notion of wise hope, the equanimity it can bring, and the fierce compassion it can unleash.

    Nicholas Kristof is the author of the forthcoming book Chasing Hope. Read his NYT columns here, and find out more about the cider he makes here.

    Roshi Joan Halifax leads the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Learn more about her work on her website.

    • 34 min
    Religion & Mental Health Part 2: Addiction

    Religion & Mental Health Part 2: Addiction

    When it comes to treating addiction, twelve-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous are some of the most often used in the US. But while twelve-step programs have several components, one of the most central is surrendering control to a higher power. But how important is that idea? Does relying on a divine influence help or hurt? And might there be other routes to recovery?

    We’ll talk with bestselling author and New York Times opinion writer Maia Szalavitz about what the research on addiction and addiction recovery shows, as well as her own path out of drug abuse. And we’ll discuss the relationship between perceptions of “divine control” and personal wellbeing with sociologist Laura Upenieks.

    Maia Szalavitz is the author of Undoing Drugs: How Harm Reduction is Changing the Future of Drugs and Addiction. Learn more about the book, and her other writings, on her website.

    Laura Upenieks is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Baylor University. Learn more about her research here.

    If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction there are many resources out there to help. Among the options Maia recommends exploring to see if they are right for you: SMART Recovery, Women for Sobriety, and Alcoholics Anonymous.

    • 36 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
122 Ratings

122 Ratings

nickname4happylisten ,

Fascinating podcast, fantastic interviews

I have enjoyed all of the episodes since the beginning of this podcast. Today’s “God is green” episode was so lovely and enriching thatI feel compelled to review it. 5 stars! Thank you for doing this work.

Asciguy ,

Woo

And then some

vickiM48 ,

My New Favorire

I LOVE this podcast! Thank you, Dave, for diving into & discussing such deep and beautiful topics on your show!

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