Introduction

We who attend Burning Man and other multi day mass gatherings have long felt that these events are personally and lastingly transformational. In May of this year, Dr. Molly Crockett and their team at Crockett Lab at Yale University published research demonstrating what we always believed. Today on Life is a Festival, Dr Crockett explains their findings and what they mean for harnessing the transformative power of festivals. On the show we talk about what transformation is and how it can be studied, specifically focusing on generosity and expanded circles of moral concern. Dr Crockett explains how their team conducted research at six field sites over a number of years. We discuss their controls for the research including for psychedelic use. We explore morality and tribalism and finally Dr Crockett shares how their research can help us make our lives more like a festival. Dr. Crockett is a behavioral neuroscientist who studies human morality, altruism, decision making, and moral outrage. They have just accepted tenure at Princeton University after serving as an Associate Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Their research on transformational experiences at events was published in Nature Communications on May 27, 2022. Notes Crockett Lab: http://www.crockettlab.org/ ‘Transformative’ effects of mass gatherings like Burning Man are lasting” in Yale News: https://news.yale.edu/2022/05/27/transformative-effects-mass-gatherings-burning-man-are-lasting “Prosocial correlates of transformative experiences at secular multi-day mass gatherings” In Nature Communications: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29600-1 Transformative Experience by L. A. Paul: https://www.amazon.com/Transformative-Experience-L-Paul/dp/0198777310 Timestamps :08 - Self Expression as path to transformation at Burning Man :16 - How the research was conducted at :22 - Secular Multiday Mass gatherings :27 - Expanded circle of moral regard :32 - How did the researchers control for psychedelic use? :41 - New relationships, gifts given and received and dancing all correlated with transformative experiences :55 - Dr Crockett’s work in morality and future research 1:01 - How Crockett’s research can help us make our lives more like a festival