Psychology
Collective Effervescence in Religious Rituals and Solidarity
Quick fact
Sociologist Émile Durkheim observed that in almost every religion, worshippers gather for intense collective ceremonies, and he argued that the energy generated is what creates the very sense of the 'sacred' that separates religious things from everyday life.
Why this is interesting
Most of us have felt a strange energy rush at a concert or football match—a sense of being part of something larger. What if this feeling is not just a personal thrill, but a key to how societies hold together?