Emotions during Religious Ceremonies
When the notion of emotions during religious ceremonies comes to mind, it is pertinent to note that a majority of emotions often have properties of the salience of the body and relational reflexivity. In this case, they are not just embodied but also harbor passing social situations in which the person’s body comes up to the surface from the inner part, manifesting as a sudden gush, tears outburst, and occasional voice inflection. Sometimes, ritual enactments offer participants with salient experiences that are embodied and not simply mental representations.
Once, I went to a local church, and the singing stirred me up. The passion largely bolstered that the rest of the congregation was singing with passion. Many people were around me, with their eyes closed, singing out loud in unison. The energy in their voices sparked something deep in me, and I found myself passionate and powerful singing alongside them. At one point, we had a Gregorian chant. I could see people swaying their heads gently, smiling slightly, and generally, we were all calmed by the serenity that the song brought forth. When sung by a large group in church, such songs “evoke a sense of awe and majesty, or trigger other religious cognitions or emotional responses that may influence the mental health outcomes” (Sims et al., 2017).
By so saying, it suffices to maintain that in the religious church ceremony, as the song was being sung, my mind felt alive. In a way, I could feel every word and be receptive to it, as it was an uplifting song; I felt rejuvenated to the extent that I was teary. After that religious ceremony, I realized that by doing something with a whole group of people, one feels more powerful and alive and has the freedom to be emotional without having strange looks cast your way.
Works Cited
Sims, T., Reed, A. E., & Carr, D. C. Information and communication technology use is related to higher well-being among the oldest-old. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 72(5), 761-770. (2017).
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Question
Sociologist Randall Collins’s theory of interaction ritual elaborates on old ideas from 19th-century sociologist Emile Durkheim. The basic idea is that when people gather together and interact in a predictable ritualistic fashion, they experience powerful shared emotions. People, therefore, seek out these experiences and the emotional energy that they provide.

Emotions during Religious Ceremonies
Think of different experiences that you’ve had that might qualify as interaction rituals—religious ceremonies, concerts, dancing at a club, sorority/fraternity traditions, or even online discussions/forums. Describe what was going on, what kind of emotions you experienced at the time, and how it shaped your perception of the world outside of the ritual—in other words, what did you get out of the experience (if anything)?