GOD PLAYS DICE™
Practices, honestly labeled
Small things you can try this week. Each one says what the studies actually found, how sure we are, and who should adapt or skip it. They can sit alongside any faith, meditation or tradition you already keep. None of them is a treatment, and none replaces care.
Look up tonight: a night-sky minute
To spend one minute with something vast, for no reason but wonder. What the sky means to you, whether it turns your thoughts to God, to the long history of the universe or to quiet, is yours to decide.
How to do it
- On a clear night, step outside to a spot where you feel safe. A window works too.
- Put your phone away or turn its screen red. Your eyes keep adjusting to the dark for about 30 minutes.
- Look up for one full minute. Don’t name anything yet; notice what is there.
- Ask one question the sky raises for you, and let it stay open. If you pray or meditate, this minute can be part of that.
- Later, find out what you saw with NASA’s monthly What’s Up sky guide.
What the studies found
We make no health claim for this minute of wonder. In four studies with 1,518 people, awe-inspiring videos made people more aware of what they didn’t know, which went with more interest in science, and in another study, people who stood among tall trees helped a researcher pick up more dropped pens than people who looked up at a large building. A 2018 Berkeley review says awe research is young and many findings have not been repeated yet; none of these studies tested stargazing.
Who should adapt or skip it: Anyone can try it, even from a window if going out at night isn’t safe; it treats nothing and is no substitute for care.
Read more: Why do we feel awe under the night sky, and is it a spiritual experience? · Is life likely to be rare or common in the universe? · Why is there something rather than nothing?
Sources (6)
- What’s Up: Skywatching Tips from NASA
- May’s Night Sky Notes: Stargazing for Beginners (Kat Troche, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, on NASA Science, 2024)
- Skywatching FAQ (NASA Science)
- Oh, the things you don’t know: awe promotes awareness of knowledge gaps and science interest (McPhetres), Cognition and Emotion, 2019
- Awe, the small self, and prosocial behavior (Piff, Dietze, Feinberg, Stancato and Keltner), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2015
- The Science of Awe (Summer Allen, Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, white paper for the John Templeton Foundation, September 2018)
An awe walk
A weekly awe walk makes room for wonder at things bigger than you, whether you walk in silence, in prayer or with open curiosity. In one small trial, awe walkers felt more joy on their walks and, over the weeks, a bit more compassion day to day.
How to do it
- Once a week, take a 15-minute walk outdoors, alone if it’s safe, at an easy pace.
- Go somewhere new if you can, in the city or the countryside.
- Keep your phone away, except to take a photo.
- Look for things that are vast or new to you: a wide sky, a tall tree, a view you never noticed.
- Let yourself wonder about what you see, the way a child exploring the world might.
- Before you head home, take a photo of the most amazing thing you saw.
What the studies found
In a 2020 trial, 60 healthy adults aged 60 to 90, mostly white and highly educated, were randomly assigned to weekly 15-minute awe walks or ordinary walks for eight weeks. Awe walkers came to feel more joy on their walks, and slightly more compassion and less distress day to day, but their anxiety, depression and life satisfaction did not change. It is one small trial that did not test whether the effects lasted, and the awe group started out a bit more distressed, so part of that drop may have happened anyway.
Who should adapt or skip it: If walking alone isn’t safe or possible, bring a friend or find awe at a window; it may lift your mood a little, but it’s no treatment or substitute for care.
Read more: Why do we feel awe under the night sky, and is it a spiritual experience?
Two hours a week in nature
This practice makes regular time in parks, woods, beaches or countryside part of your week. In one large survey, people with at least two hours a week in nature reported good health and well-being more often than people with none, but its authors say it is too early for an official target.
How to do it
- Aim for about two hours a week in parks, woods, beaches, rivers or countryside.
- Split it however suits you: one long outing or several short ones.
- Walk, sit, pray or look around; it doesn’t have to be a workout.
- Leave your phone in your pocket and notice what you see, hear and smell.
- Jot down your minutes and how you feel afterward, and adjust.
What the studies found
In a survey of 19,806 adults in England, people with at least 120 minutes in nature in the past week were more likely to report good health and high well-being than people with none, with no extra gain beyond 200–300 minutes. The link was small, and a one-time survey cannot show cause, since healthier, happier people may get outside more. Controlled studies point the same way for mood: a 2026 review of 28 reviews linked nature-based activities to better mood and less tension, with the evidence rated moderate at best.
Who should adapt or skip it: If getting around, health, safety or weather make outings hard, start small or with a window view of trees; nature time is a support, not a substitute for care.
Read more: Why do we feel awe under the night sky, and is it a spiritual experience? · What makes a life well lived?
Sources (3)
- Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing (White et al., Scientific Reports, 2019)
- Climate-Related and Nature-Based Interventions for Mental Health: An Umbrella Review and Meta-Analysis (Brandt et al., JAMA Psychiatry, 2026)
- Health benefits of viewing nature through windows: A meta-analysis (Soga and Gaston, BioScience, 2025)
A gratitude letter
Gratitude practices have roots in many religious and cultural traditions. This one puts your thanks into words for one person who helped you, which can lift your mood for a while and show them they mattered.
How to do it
- Think of someone who did something important for you and was never properly thanked.
- Write to them directly (“Dear…”), saying exactly what they did and how it affected your life.
- Aim for specific and sincere, not polished.
- If you can, read it to them in person or on a call; if not, send it.
- Send it even if it feels awkward: in experiments, readers felt happier and less awkward than the writers expected.
What the studies found
In a 2005 online trial of mostly white, well-educated adults, a thank-you letter delivered in person gave the biggest short-term boost of five exercises, but it had faded by three months. Reviews of gratitude exercises since then find small effects: a 2021 review of 27 studies found small drops in depression and anxiety symptoms, and a 2025 review of 145 papers from 28 countries found a small rise in well-being. The main caveat: in the few studies that compared them, gratitude exercises showed no clear edge over other pleasant activities.
Who should adapt or skip it: If thanking someone stirs up guilt or old hurt, list good things privately instead; it’s no substitute for care, so if low mood or worry won’t lift, see a doctor or counselor.
Read more: What makes a life well lived?
Sources (5)
- Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions (Seligman, Steen, Park and Peterson, American Psychologist, 2005)
- Gratitude Interventions: Effective Self-help? A Meta-analysis of the Impact on Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety (Cregg and Cheavens, Journal of Happiness Studies, 2021)
- A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of gratitude interventions on well-being across cultures (Choi, Cha, McCullough, Coles and Oishi, PNAS, 2025)
- Undervaluing Gratitude: Expressers Misunderstand the Consequences of Showing Appreciation (Kumar and Epley, Psychological Science, 2018)
- Gratitude Letter (Greater Good in Action, UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center)
Reconnect with one person
To renew one tie that matters to you. People who reach out tend to underestimate how welcome it will be.
How to do it
- Think of one person you have been meaning to contact but haven’t in a while.
- Send a short message or note that says you thought of them, and why.
- Keep it light. You don’t need to explain the silence or ask for anything.
- Send it even if it feels awkward: in studies, people appreciated being contacted more than the senders expected.
- If they write back, suggest one small next step, like a call or a coffee.
What the studies found
Across 13 studies, people who reached out, such as with a note or a small gift, underrated how much the other person would value it, and an outside repeat of one study found a similar, small gap. In a four-week trial with 240 homebound adults, those who got calls from briefly trained young callers felt less lonely than those who got none, moderately on one of two scales. Across 148 studies, people with stronger social ties had about 50% better odds of survival, but that is a link, not a test of reaching out.
Who should adapt or skip it: Skip anyone who hurt you or asked for space; if loneliness won’t lift, see a doctor or counselor, because this is no substitute for care.
Read more: What makes a life well lived? · What is the meaning of life, and who gets to decide?
Sources (4)
- The surprise of reaching out: Appreciated more than we think (Liu, Rim, Min and Min), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2023
- Report #7: Replication of a study from “The Surprise of Reaching Out: Appreciated More Than We Think” (Transparent Replications by Clearer Thinking, 2023)
- Effect of Layperson-Delivered, Empathy-Focused Program of Telephone Calls on Loneliness, Depression, and Anxiety Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Clinical Trial (Kahlon et al.), JAMA Psychiatry, 2021
- Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review (Holt-Lunstad, Smith and Layton), PLoS Medicine, 2010
Ten minutes of meditation
Meditation goes back thousands of years, and many methods began in Eastern traditions. This short daily version gives your mind one thing to rest on, may ease anxiety or low mood a little, and can sit alongside prayer or your own practice.
How to do it
- Sit somewhere quiet and set a timer for 10 minutes.
- Choose an anchor: your breath, a sound, or a word or short prayer you repeat silently.
- Rest your attention on the anchor.
- When your mind wanders, notice where it went, without scolding yourself, and come back.
- Try to practice at the same time each day; missing a day is fine.
What the studies found
A 2024 review of 45 trials of mindfulness apps, many asking for 10 minutes a day, found small, short-term drops in anxiety and depression, mostly in students and the general public. In a 2014 review of 47 trials in adults with health problems or stress, longer mindfulness courses with a teacher eased anxiety, depression and pain a little but did not beat exercise or medicines, and the few courses built on a repeated word showed no clear effect. Researchers warn of hype and weak studies, and a 2020 review found unwanted effects, most often anxiety or depression, in about 8% of people studied.
Who should adapt or skip it: If you’re in treatment for your mental health, ask your doctor or therapist first; stop if it brings on panic or low mood, and never let it replace or delay care.
Read more: Can meditation change the brain?
Sources (5)
- The efficacy of mindfulness apps on symptoms of depression and anxiety: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (Linardon, Messer, Goldberg and Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Clinical Psychology Review, 2024)
- Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Goyal et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2014)
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation (Van Dam et al., Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2018)
- Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation-based therapies: a systematic review (Farias, Maraldi, Wallenkampf and Lucchetti, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2020)
- Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety (NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, last updated June 2022)
WOOP: keep the dream, add a plan
To turn a wish into action while keeping your dream, your intentions or your prayers. In studies, glowing daydreams alone went with less effort, and adding the obstacle and a plan modestly helped people reach goals.
How to do it
- Wish: name one wish that matters to you and is challenging but possible.
- Outcome: imagine the best result as vividly as you can. How would it feel?
- Obstacle: ask what inside you is most likely to get in the way, such as a habit, a fear or a feeling, and picture it.
- Plan: write one sentence, “If [obstacle], then I will [action].”
- If the obstacle truly can’t be overcome, adjust the wish, save it for later or let it go.
What the studies found
In four studies of job seekers, students and hip-surgery patients, people who expected success tried harder and did better, but those with the most glowing daydreams tended to try less and do worse. Two reviews, one with children, students, adults and patients, found that WOOP-style planning helped people reach goals a small-to-moderate amount. The gain was smaller when people learned it from a page or screen, not a person, and may be smaller still, since weak results can go unpublished.
Who should adapt or skip it: It’s a planning tool and no substitute for care: if low mood or worry keeps you stuck, see a doctor or counselor, and never blame yourself for what you can’t control.
Read more: What is the law of attraction, and what does research say about positive thinking? · What are the most common thinking traps, and how do we avoid them? · Can meditation change the brain?
Sources (4)
- Practice: How can I practice WOOP? (WOOP my life, the WOOP site run by Gabriele Oettingen)
- The motivating function of thinking about the future: expectations versus fantasies (Oettingen and Mayer), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002
- A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Mental Contrasting With Implementation Intentions on Goal Attainment (Wang, Wang and Gai), Frontiers in Psychology, 2021
- Mental contrasting for health behaviour change: a systematic review and meta-analysis of effects and moderator variables (Cross and Sheffield), Health Psychology Review, 2019
A personal grief ritual
To give your grief a time, a place and a shape, and to say goodbye in your own way. A 2018 review sees rituals as one way people manage feelings, and many mourners say they help; whether they ease grief itself is still an open question.
How to do it
- Choose a quiet time and place, perhaps a date that mattered to the person you lost.
- Pick two or three simple acts that feel right, such as lighting a candle, saying their name or playing a song they loved.
- Write them a letter you won’t send: what you miss, what you wish you had said, what you will carry with you.
- Do the acts slowly and in the same order, then close on purpose: fold the letter, blow out the candle, sit still for a moment.
- If your faith has its own mourning rites or prayers, let this sit alongside them, and repeat or change it as you need.
What the studies found
Funeral studies are mixed: in one review, five found benefits and six did not, and any benefit seemed to depend on mourners making the ritual their own. In one paper, a short ritual eased grief after losing a $200 lab draw, even for doubters, and recalling a ritual after a death or breakup went with slightly less grief. But one of the paper’s two authors was later found to have committed misconduct in four other papers, which she disputes, and the other author says this paper’s data cannot now be re-checked, so treat the result with extra caution.
Who should adapt or skip it: Change any step that clashes with your beliefs; this is no substitute for care, so if grief stays crushing or brings thoughts of self-harm, get help now.
If you’re thinking about ending your life or hurting yourself, please reach out now: in the US, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline); elsewhere, call your local emergency number. You don’t have to face this alone. More support →
Read more: Why does grief hurt so much, even physically? · When does grief need more help? · Is it normal to feel that someone who died is still with me? · Is it possible to make peace with the idea of dying?
Sources (7)
- The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework (Hobson, Schroeder, Risen, Xygalatas and Inzlicht), Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2018
- Rituals Alleviate Grieving for Loved Ones, Lovers, and Lotteries (Norton and Gino), Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2014
- Paper #82: Norton and Gino (2014), Many Co-Authors project
- Harvard Revokes Tenure From Francesca Gino, Business School Professor Accused of Data Fraud (The Harvard Crimson, May 2025)
- Data Falsificada (Part 1): “Clusterfake” (Data Colada [109], June 2023)
- How do Funeral Practices Impact Bereaved Relatives’ Mental Health, Grief and Bereavement? A Mixed Methods Review with Implications for COVID-19 (Burrell and Selman), Omega, 2022
- Facilitating grief: An exploration of the function of funerals and rituals in relation to grief reactions (Mitima-Verloop, Mooren and Boelen), Death Studies, 2021
Reviewed 29 September 2026. Labels describe the evidence for each practice’s benefit, not the people who practice it (what the labels mean). For the words we use, see the glossary.