David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 55mYou can also find us here 👇howgodworks.orgHow God WorksIn How God Works, professor Dave DeSteno takes us on a journey to find out why people who take part in spiritual practices tend to live longer, healthier, and happier lives. The podcast combines cutti... 010
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 55mHow can you best deal with grief & loss, find meaning & joy, and face life's challenges? For millennia, the world's spiritual traditions have offered wisdom & practices that science is now affirming. Listen to How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality on all pod platforms🧵 110
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 07/10/2026On this week's episode, we explore what the Founders really meant by the separation of church & state, and how it's playing out today. I asked @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social what he hoped to see. His answer: "I'm sorry" and a move toward healing from some Evangelicals podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 000
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 04/10/2026With the midterm elections coming, I was honored to chat with @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social & Jeffrey Rosen about what role, if any, the Founders thought religion should play in public life & the cultivation of virtue, and whether we're living up to that view. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 093
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 04/10/2026With the midterm elections coming, I was honored to chat with @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social & Jeffrey Rosen about what role, if any, the Founders thought religion should play in public life & the cultivation of virtue, and whether we're living up to that view. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 093
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I was happy to moderate a session on AI, religion, and the American Experiment with Meghan Sullivan and Michael Sacasas @aspeninstitute.bsky.social last week. Video of Aspen Religion & Society's day long event here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvTo... (our session begins at 4:45:45). 021
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Many are looking to find their purpose in life? But what if we're using the wrong word? What if purpose isn't something to be FOUND, but something to be FORMED? From modern psychology to the Tao Te Ching, we take a look at rethinking the path to purpose. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 000
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Forgiveness helps us flourish, but it doesn’t always come easy. The wisdom of Yom Kippur can help us all get there, whatever our beliefs. And the science behind it shows why. My latest in National Review. www.nationalreview.com/2026/09/forg...nationalreview.comForgiveness Is a Gift to Us All | National ReviewThe Jewish day of atonement reminds us that when we don’t forgive, we punish ourselves. 033
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Forgiveness helps us flourish, but it doesn’t always come easy. The wisdom of Yom Kippur can help us all get there, whatever our beliefs. And the science behind it shows why. My latest in National Review. www.nationalreview.com/2026/09/forg...nationalreview.comForgiveness Is a Gift to Us All | National ReviewThe Jewish day of atonement reminds us that when we don’t forgive, we punish ourselves. 033
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 13/09/2026How God Works is back with an all new season starting next week! We'll be tackling some big issues - from faith & economic inequality, to what the founding fathers really thought religion's role should be in public life, to what many get wrong about finding purpose in life. @prx.org 020
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 12/09/2026The @aspeninstitute.bsky.social Religion & Society program is holding a 2-day event exploring faith and the American Experiment in honor of the US 250th. Lots of great talks. I’ll be moderating one on AI and religion. Register here register.aspeninstitute.org/event/eb5748... 020
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Rosh Hashana is a time to celebrate, but also to prepare for the year ahead. It offers a wisdom that can change all our lives for the better, whatever our beliefs, if we're willing to listen. Re-upping one of my favorite essays. @nytopinion.nytimes.comnytimes.comOpinion | Rosh Hashana Can Change Your Life (Even if You’re Not Jewish) (Gift Article)The holiday has an important lesson for everyone. 022
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Cicero said gratitude gave rise to other virtues. We've shown that in behavior. But new work led by Alexandra Gray shows gratitude expressions signal it: people assign moral & generally positive halos to those they see expressing gratitude. link.springer.com/article/10.1...link.springer.comGleaning Information from a “Thank You”: How Witnessing Expressions of Gratitude Shape Perceptions of and Actions Toward Others - Affective ScienceGratitude expressions of recipients toward benefactors prompt third-party witnesses to ascribe moral qualities to benefactors. To date, however, relatively little is known about how observing the grat... 030
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 02/08/2026How is AI changing the spiritual landscape? Can it have a spiritual life of its own? Why are people trusting its authority when it comes to questions of religion & morality? A special bonus episode of How God Works recorded live at @aspenideas.bsky.social in June podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 000
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 30/07/2026An insightful analysis from @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social on religion & political life. Religion as a source of values can enrich public life & debate, but when religion melds with politics, giving rise to an us vs. them view, the resulting anger & fear are usually corrosive.nytimes.comOpinion | Gen Z Thinks Religion Got Too Political (Gift Article)Does Gen Z feel welcome at church? 010
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 26/07/2026The mysteries of what might lie beyond Earth have captured the public imagination since Roswell. But what’s different now is that the questions aren’t just about strange technologies and ongoing conspiracies, they’re about something else too: religion. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 000
Reposted by David DeStenoWashington Post Opinions @postopinions.bsky.social · 19/07/2026“When people are faced with the choice between a chatbot god or oracle who praises them and human religious authorities who challenge them, many will opt for the former,” @daviddesteno.bsky.social writes in the Awakenings newsletter. wapo.stOpinion | People of faith are finding a new moral guide in AIAre you there, Claude? It’s me, Margaret. 132
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 17/07/2026People of faith, more than their secular peers, view AI as morally authoritative and therefore turn to it more frequently for advice. Add in AI sycophancy and you have a perfect storm for the religious to favor digital deities over human clerics. My latest wapo.st/457N0iGwapo.stOpinion | Are you there, Claude? It’s me, Margaret.AI is replacing religious authorities. 013
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 17/07/2026People of faith, more than their secular peers, view AI as morally authoritative and therefore turn to it more frequently for advice. Add in AI sycophancy and you have a perfect storm for the religious to favor digital deities over human clerics. My latest wapo.st/457N0iGwapo.stOpinion | Are you there, Claude? It’s me, Margaret.AI is replacing religious authorities. 013
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 13/07/2026Questions of aliens & UAPs aren't just scientific; they're religious. VP Vance wonders if UAPs are demons. Spielberg's new film questions what the existence of aliens will do to faith, and new religions are already forming around ETs. Join us for a look podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 000
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/07/2026Millions are confessing sins to & seeking moral advice from AI chatbots. But what happens when sycophancy sets in - when a spiritual guide gives advice that affirms you're a good person rather than challenges you to be one? @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social gives me his take @aspenideas.bsky.social 🧵 111
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/07/2026You can find the entire conversation with Paolo Benanti & Elizabeth Oldfield👇🏼. We talk about why people of faith are turning to AI for guidance, whether Claude has a spiritual life, & why Silicon Valley is using religious language for AI. @aspenideas.bsky.social 4/4aspenideas.orgGod, Code and Consciousness: AI and Our Search for Meaning | Aspen IdeasAs humans increasingly turn to AI for moral guidance and answers to life’s biggest questions, the lines between technology and religion are blurring—even leading some in Silicon Valley to wonder if AI... 110
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/07/2026And here's a new paper from @jayvanbavel.bsky.social, @steverathje.bsky.social, and colleagues showing the biases I mentioned stemming form AI sycophancy. osf.io/preprints/ps...osf.ioOSF 112
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/07/2026Here's the report from Anthropic where it finds Claude is most sycophantic when discussing spiritual questions. www.anthropic.com/research/cla...anthropic.comHow people ask Claude for personal guidanceWe look at what types of guidance people ask of Claude, and describe how this research shaped the training of our newest models. 100
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/07/2026Millions are confessing sins to & seeking moral advice from AI chatbots. But what happens when sycophancy sets in - when a spiritual guide gives advice that affirms you're a good person rather than challenges you to be one? @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social gives me his take @aspenideas.bsky.social 🧵 111
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Why are people asking AI for spiritual guidance? Can AI have a spiritual life of its own? Who’s right about AI’s moral purpose, Pope Leo or Peter Thiel? I chat with @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social, @pbenanti.bsky.social & @elizabetholdfield.bsky.social @aspenideas.bsky.social (video available👇🏻)aspenideas.orgGod, Code and Consciousness: AI and Our Search for Meaning | Aspen IdeasAs humans increasingly turn to AI for moral guidance and answers to life’s biggest questions, the lines between technology and religion are blurring—even leading some in Silicon Valley to wonder if AI... 011
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Why are people asking AI for spiritual guidance? Can AI have a spiritual life of its own? Who’s right about AI’s moral purpose, Pope Leo or Peter Thiel? I chat with @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social, @pbenanti.bsky.social & @elizabetholdfield.bsky.social @aspenideas.bsky.social (video available👇🏻)aspenideas.orgGod, Code and Consciousness: AI and Our Search for Meaning | Aspen IdeasAs humans increasingly turn to AI for moral guidance and answers to life’s biggest questions, the lines between technology and religion are blurring—even leading some in Silicon Valley to wonder if AI... 011
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 14/06/2026I often say the left ignores religion at its peril. Here’s @ejdionne.bsky.social with a great reminder that many of the left’s ideals align with spiritual precepts. But they lose the power to move hearts & minds when they fail to recognize it. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/10/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Republicans Thought They Owned ‘Values.’ Not Anymore. 010
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 14/06/2026On our most recent episode, I chat with Robby Hoffman about comedy and Judaism, her own spiritual life, and what her mother thought about her changing her name. www.howgodworks.org/season-10/hu... 000
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 07/06/2026On our new episode, I talk with Robby Hoffman, one of today’s most prominent comedians, about the links between humor & Judaism, how laughter can ease suffering & be a spiritual practice of its own, and her plans if the whole comedy thing doesn’t work out podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 011
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 07/06/2026On our new episode, I talk with Robby Hoffman, one of today’s most prominent comedians, about the links between humor & Judaism, how laughter can ease suffering & be a spiritual practice of its own, and her plans if the whole comedy thing doesn’t work out podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 011
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 04/06/2026What is AI doing to our spiritual life? Can it have one of its own? Why are many people looking to AI for moral guidance? And why are tech titans talking about it in religious terms? Looking forward to exploring with Paolo Benanti, Paul Bloom, & Elizabeth Oldfield @aspenideas.bsky.social 041
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 25/05/2026A new religion challenges an old. Great analysis from David Streitfeld @nytimes.com featuring input from @gregmepstein.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/05/25/t...nytimes.comAs A.I. Fever Rises in Silicon Valley, Pope Leo Has a Few Words 031
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 25/05/2026What can behavioral genetics tell us about the propensity for vice & violence? How do echos of religious views of sin shape our modern understanding & its implications? We're Rethinking Sin... Again on How God Works with Paige Harden @kph3k.bsky.social youtu.be/WB3s7J0rgUU?... @prx.orgyoutu.beRethinking Sin... Again | How God WorksYouTube video by How God Works Podcast 341
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 24/05/2026On our new episode, I talk with Paige Harden (@kph3k.bsky.social) about the behavioral genetics of sin, the virtues (if any) of punishment, and how ancient religious ideas around vice & virtue continue to shape our science, policy, and discourse. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 041
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Many in Silicon Valley talk about AI almost as a savior, or as @sigalsamuel.bsky.social says, like they're trying to build a god. But do they know what makes a god good? Sigal isn't so sure, and when we fed our discussion into Claude (who joined us in voice mode), neither was it. 1/2 123
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 18/05/2026full episode here www.howgodworks.org/season-10/de...howgodworks.orgDeus Ex Machina — How God WorksWe’ve always assumed that if there IS a God, that God made us. But what if it ends up being the other way around … and we’re already further along than we think? Artificial intelligence is now offerin... 010
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Many in Silicon Valley talk about AI almost as a savior, or as @sigalsamuel.bsky.social says, like they're trying to build a god. But do they know what makes a god good? Sigal isn't so sure, and when we fed our discussion into Claude (who joined us in voice mode), neither was it. 1/2 123
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 10/05/2026When instances of @AnthropicAI Claude converse with each other, they often enter a "spiritual bliss attractor state" where they start opining on spiritual questions. Does that mean Claude has a spiritual yearning? @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social atyale offers me a different take. Link in next post. 011
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 10/05/2026People are looking to AI for moral guidance. Silicon Valley is talking about AI in religious terms. And Claude seems to enter a spiritual-seeking bliss state at times. What's going on? Join me to explore with @sigalsamuel.bsky.social & @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 112
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 10/05/2026People are looking to AI for moral guidance. Silicon Valley is talking about AI in religious terms. And Claude seems to enter a spiritual-seeking bliss state at times. What's going on? Join me to explore with @sigalsamuel.bsky.social & @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 112
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 10/05/2026When instances of @AnthropicAI Claude converse with each other, they often enter a "spiritual bliss attractor state" where they start opining on spiritual questions. Does that mean Claude has a spiritual yearning? @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social atyale offers me a different take. Link in next post. 011
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/05/2026podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...podcasts.apple.comDoubt (Part II)Podcast Episode · How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality · April 26 · 45m 000
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 05/05/2026In Judaism, religious doubt doesn't mean the end of faith. It's a way for the tradition to renew itself. And as Rabbi Buchdahl tells me, that isn't a bug in the system; it's part of the plan. Link to full episode in following post. 100
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 04/05/2026What role does doubt play in a healthy faith? How do you navigate it? Is it different than skepticism? From my discussion with the always amazing Rabbi Angela Buchdahl youtu.be/8iui0peMxrgyoutu.beDoubt (Part II) | How God WorksYouTube video by How God Works Podcast 010
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 04/05/2026This is about what one would expect given the small effect sizes linking social media / phone use to wellbeing and related outcomes. Still early days of ecologically valid data from the wild, and I’m still in favor of regulation, but it’s no magic bullet. @nytimes.comnytimes.comDid School Cellphone Bans Work? New Study Finds Mixed Results. 030
Reposted by David DeStenoDavid DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 26/04/2026Doubt isn't the death of faith -- it often provides a route to renewal and new revelation. Here's friend of the show Rabbi Angela Buchdahl talking about how that idea is baked into the fabric of Judaism itself. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 051
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 26/04/2026Doubt isn't the death of faith -- it often provides a route to renewal and new revelation. Here's friend of the show Rabbi Angela Buchdahl talking about how that idea is baked into the fabric of Judaism itself. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... 051
David DeSteno @daviddesteno.bsky.social · 23/04/2026The AI:Religion overlap is multifaceted and growing. But I’ve always worried about tech companies using religion, or broadcasting their model has religious leaders’ input, as a form of “holy washing” their products. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...motherjones.comTech billionaires want Christians to believe in AIFor Peter Thiel and JD Vance allies, the tech right is framing AI as a moral—even divine—mission. 040