Rational Ritual

How do rituals, advertisements, and societal practices shape the way we coordinate with others? Rational Ritual unpacks the surprising ways common knowledge drives our collective actions.

1. Coordination Problems Depend on Common Knowledge

Common knowledge governs our decisions in group actions because it reassures us that others share the same information. Without it, coordination is almost impossible. For example, being invited to a protest under a repressive regime isn’t enough to prompt participation unless attendees know others will be there as well.

Coordination problems occur when the success of an action relies on everyone else also participating, creating a cycle of mutual dependence. Each person’s decision-making process considers not just their own knowledge but what they assume others know—and what others think others know. Breaking this cycle requires everyone to have access to shared, public information.

The distinction between the CC and BCC fields in an email illustrates how common knowledge works. The CC field allows all recipients to see who else received the message, giving everyone confidence in their shared awareness. This contrasts with BCC, where participants remain blind to who else is in the loop, which limits coordination.

Examples

• Organizing flash mobs depends on public calls to action so everyone feels confident others will show up.
• Stock market behavior often hinges on visible trends, creating shared perceptions of value.
• Protest movements grow when public announcements make everyone aware that others are also joining.

2. Public Rituals Reinforce Authority Through Shared Awareness

Rituals like royal parades and groundbreaking ceremonies create shared experiences that bind people together under an authority. Monarchs in ancient times used royal progresses to parade symbols of their power, ensuring not just the peasants but the entire crowd collectively acknowledged the ruler’s dominance.

Such rituals do more than celebrate power; they establish mutual knowledge of the political structure. This means every individual sees the symbols of authority and knows everyone else sees them too. Even revolutions rely on similar principles when building new regimes. The French Revolution, for instance, included festivals, oath-swearing, and even changing which side of the road people drove on to demonstrate shared acceptance of their new norms.

These events are about more than conformity—they are about cementing shared understanding. Through them, people are reassured that they are part of a collective with similar loyalties or commitments.

Examples

• National anthem performances at sports events reinforce shared national identity.
• Election rallies signal the strength of political campaigns by drawing visible crowds.
• Ancient military victories often involved public celebrations to acknowledge the ruler's strength.

3. Advertising Establishes Common Preferences

Advertising is fundamentally about creating shared awareness of a product’s appeal. A fax machine or credit card becomes useful only when others also adopt it. Popular campaigns succeed not just by informing potential buyers about a product but by signaling that other people are likely to adopt the same product.

Massive platforms like the Super Bowl are especially effective in spreading this common knowledge. Advertisers know millions are watching, and viewers know this too, creating a powerful confirmation loop. That’s why social goods like beer or clothing dominate advertising budgets for high-profile events, while nuanced goods like batteries find less benefit from similar placement.

Television audiences often remember Super Bowl ads not for their informational content but for their scale and reach, which declare, “Everyone will know about this.”

Examples

• Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl ad made the Macintosh not just a product but a shared cultural moment.
• Millennials and Gen Z widely identify with brands like Nike, solidified through global ad campaigns.
• Movie trailers shown during popular shows introduce shared buzz for upcoming films.

4. Weak Connections Spread Information; Strong Links Encourage Action

Acquaintances share weak links, spreading information to wide networks, while close friends form strong links that build trust and emotional solidarity. Weak links help us hear about opportunities, while strong links make us act on them.

Studies reveal that hearing about jobs often happens through casual acquaintances—weak links—because those networks dramatically widen the circle of information. However, when asking for support on personal or controversial decisions, people rely on their tighter networks of strong links. For instance, volunteers for the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer project had strong personal connections to other activists.

Strong links foster common knowledge because close friends often share the same circles and know what’s mutually understood. Actions requiring high risk or collaboration thus rely more on strong links than weak ones.

Examples

• Joining a political movement often springs from close-knit groups despite hearing about it indirectly.
• Attending family reunions relies on close ties rather than just casual reminders.
• Crowdsourcing platforms like GoFundMe succeed when tight networks amplify their efforts.

5. Suppressing Common Knowledge Can Consolidate Control

The panopticon prison concept illustrates how limiting common knowledge stifles rebellion and maintains control. Here, inmates cannot communicate or observe each other fully, leaving them unable to coordinate collective resistance.

The design relies on asymmetrical visibility: guards can see prisoners, but prisoners can’t see the guards—or each other. This fosters uncertainty because inmates don’t know when they’re being watched, making them self-regulate to avoid punishment. The absence of common knowledge (like confirmation that a guard isn’t watching) disrupts any potential collaboration.

This principle extends beyond prisons. Governments or authoritarian regimes often restrict free speech or ban assembly precisely because public interaction fosters the spread of common knowledge.

Examples

• Internet censorship blocks activists from sharing information widely.
• The U.S. segregation era suppressed unity by isolating marginalized communities.
• Monitored workplaces reduce casual employee conversations, hindering solidarity.

6. Rituals Solve Coordination Dilemmas Shaped by Culture

Cultural idioms often guide how we collectively tackle coordination. While driving on the left or right side of the road might seem arbitrary, both approaches are valid solutions to a shared problem. What matters is societal consensus enforced through rituals and communication.

Game theory shows us the rationality behind such choices: no one driving on the left wants to randomly switch to the right. But cultures develop frameworks—through ceremonies, regulations, or traditions—that fortify these shared behaviors. Such systems don’t just reflect pragmatism; they’re emotional, historical, and symbolic.

These practices unite rationale with cultural values, shaping decisions in visible, tangible forms that reinforce a group’s identity.

Examples

• Countries that once followed British colonial law still drive on the left as part of their inheritance.
• Social norms for greeting (like shaking hands) solve minor dilemmas about showing politeness.
• Festivals and group celebrations create visible commitments to community cohesion.

7. Super Bowl Ads Showcase Public Buy-In

Advertising during the Super Bowl isn’t merely about pitching a product—it’s about creating a sense of societal consensus. Everyone knows the ads are seen by millions, creating a psychological mechanism where the product appears valid due to widespread exposure.

This public spectacle amplifies shared buy-in. It’s no coincidence that advertisements promoting "social" goods, like soda or clothing, dominate Super Bowl airtime. These products rely on people believing that others embrace them too. The hefty cost of Super Bowl ads pays off because viewers recognize the cultural weight they carry.

Advertising thus becomes symbolic, reaching audiences not just with a product message but with confirmation of community engagement.

Examples

• Coca-Cola ads celebrating diversity during big events spark universal conversations.
• Car ads during sports focus on community strength to appeal to viewers’ trust.
• Viral campaigns like Old Spice's hilarious ads punctuate group conversations online.

8. Rituals Reaffirm Government Changes

Major political shifts, like revolutions, often emphasize rituals to legitimize authority. The French Revolution introduced symbolic practices like oath ceremonies and even altered units of measurement to solidify new norms.

By ensuring broad participation in rituals, new governments create tangible acceptance signs. Rather than leaving change abstract, rituals make the collective buy-in visible to participants and outsiders. These displays reduce resistance because they emphasize widespread acknowledgment of the new order.

These strategies highlight how change relies on building consensus rooted in visible, shared cultural activities.

Examples

• The U.S. Civil Rights movement held large-scale marches to show public support.
• Independence Day fireworks visibly recognize shared national belief.
• Revolutions with symbolic garment changes (e.g., caps or colors) use visual methods to signal change.

9. Emotional and Rational Intersect in Decision-Making

The way we think blends raw logic with cultural cues, challenging an idea that emotions are unwelcome in rational choices. Research shows that individuals with damaged emotional centers struggle to make routine decisions despite intact logic.

Similarly, coordination boils down to both tangible choices and emotional or cultural practices that enforce shared understanding. Rituals tap into this intersection. They create a collective emotional resonance that informs rational decision-making, bridging cold reasoning with powerful communal experiences.

The distinction between emotion and logic fades when recognizing how society aligns choices with tradition, trust, and other non-tangible factors.

Examples

• Ritual elections rely on emotional appeals alongside debates.
• Holiday routines feel comforting while aligning families to shared choices.
• Major purchases often merge the rational (cost) with the emotional (brand loyalty).

Takeaways

1. Use public platforms or gatherings to share messages that require group participation or mutual buy-in.
2. Leverage strong friendships when seeking action-based collaboration but rely on wide networks for access to new opportunities and information.
3. Recognize emotional or symbolic traditions that influence group behavior in personal, business, or social decisions.