The research, plainly
Norton and Gino ran experiments where simple invented rituals — specific unwrapping sequences, structured gestures — made chocolate taste better, experiences feel richer, and even losses easier to process. The ritual doesn't need history or belief; the structure itself creates the meaning.
The receipt: Norton & Gino, 2014
What it means for events
Ritual is meaning you can manufacture. The same opening every year, the specific toast, the object handed over the same way — repetition plus symbolism turns an agenda item into an institution, and institutions get attended.
Where to run it
Annual events
Build one signature ritual and never change it: the bell, the first toast, the closing words. Year three, it's tradition; year five, it's identity.
Awards & recognition
The handshake, the walk, the exact words — ceremony IS the value. An award without ritual is a shipping notification.
Openings & closings
Open the same way every day of a multi-day event. The repeated beat tells the room 'this is who we are here.'
Seen in the wild
Related concepts
Now use it
Score your own event against principles like this one — or make the whole vocabulary official.
Score your event Get certified