![]() But when they are born, we can baptize them or perform any other of a variety of birth rituals that provide us with an illusion of control. For example, we can’t control what will happen to our children throughout their lives, and we can protect them only to a limited degree, which is a source of chatter for many parents. In Chatter, acclaimed psychologist Ethan Kross explores the silent conversations we have with ourselves. ![]() Many rituals also provide us with a sense of order, because we perform behaviors we can control. This might explain why pregame rituals abound in sports, providing a distraction at the most anxiety-filled moment. ![]() If they are not, it’s a brilliant satire. If the authors are serious, this is a silly, distasteful book. To ask why this is so would be a far more useful project. For one, they direct our attention away from what’s bothering us the demands they place on working memory to carry out the tasks of the ritual leave little room for anxiety and negative manifestations of the inner voice. The world may be like this at times, but often it isn’t. ![]() “The reason rituals are so effective at helping us manage our inner voices is that they’re a chatter-reducing cocktail that influences us through several avenues. ![]()
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