Ritual
A ritual is a practice kept for its meaning, not just its result. Learn how a ritual differs from a routine and what research says about rituals and habits.
Supriya Bhandary
Founder, Soumm · 4 September 2026 · Updated 14 October 2026
What is a ritual?
A ritual is a repeated practice that carries meaning beyond its practical result. A routine is something you get through; a ritual is something you return to. The same act, such as oiling your hair, can be either, depending on the attention you bring to it.
What research says
Experiments suggest that performing a familiar ritual in a stressful moment can lower anxiety. (Lang et al., 2020)
In a study of habit formation, new daily behaviours took a median of about 66 days to become automatic, with a range from 18 to 254 days. (Lally et al., 2010)
At Soumm
Soumm is built around small rituals: ten unhurried minutes of oiling and massage, kept for their own sake as much as for their result.
See also: Oiling, Stress.
Sources
Lally P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J. How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world. Eur J Soc Psychol. 2010;40(6):998–1009.
Lang M, Krátký J, Xygalatas D. The role of ritual behaviour in anxiety reduction: an investigation of Marathi religious practices in Mauritius. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2020;375(1805):20190431.
Questions
A routine is defined by the task. A ritual is defined by the meaning and attention you bring to it.
In one well-known study, it took a median of 66 days for a new daily behaviour to become automatic, ranging from 18 to 254 days.
Experimental research suggests rituals can lower anxiety before stressful tasks, although effects vary between people.