The odds are good that you have seen the Ted Talk that Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton delivered in 2012. “How to Buy Happiness,” has been viewed nearly five million times. In Norton’s new book, he turns his focus and expertise to a topic of truly cosmic importance. Why did Nomar Garciaparra adjust his batting gloves so many times before stepping into the box? Or, more generically, why are we—athletes, performances, homo sapiens—so prone to routines?
The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions was released on April 9. In the book, Norton makes a strong case that athletes who wink before shooting free throws … bounce the ball a set number of times before shooting … or religiously tug their sleeves before batting … they’re not only behaving normally; they’re acting in service of maximizing performance.
Norton recently spoke about sports rituals with Sports Illustrated. The exchange (lightly edited for brevity and clarity) below:
