☁️ Hello from a cloudy, stunning Florence. Yes, the newsletter was late this week—sue me. Please don’t, I tried my best.

This week I’m sharing with you the fascinating concept of collective effervescence and switching things up a bit in our Weekly Curation. Let me know what you think!

Thank you to everyone who attended the Casa Cinco x BrytSpace event in Madrid last week. Promise we’ll be sharing content soon on the ‘Gram.

Want more of Casa Cinco? Become part of our circle. See the bottom of this email.

Dare to connect,

Andy

NEW HERE? WE’VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU.

👋 Welcome to Curating Connection, Casa Cinco's weekly newsletter sharing stories, research, and resources to inspire and enable social health. Catch up and join us.

STOP SINGING IN THE SHOWER. JOIN A CHOIR INSTEAD.

You know that rush of connection when you're shouting out lyrics at a concert with thousands of strangers? Or when you're cheering your team on at a stadium, and suddenly feel part of something larger than yourself?

That, my friend, is collective effervescence. Long story short: we all need more of it.

Collective effervescence came up as I was listening to Dr. Chatterjee’s compilation on The Life-Changing Power of Connecting With Others, featuring insights from Dr. Gabor Maté (internationally acclaimed physician), Johann Hari (author of Lost Connections), Dan Buettner (the man who coined Blue Zones) and more. Ugh, how I wish I could sit in that room with those people! Someday, young Padawan.

One of the guests was Dr. Dacher Keltner—psychology professor at UC Berkley and co-director of its Greater Good Science Center. Dr. Keltner, the “Happy Life” scientist, is best known for his work on awe and its relationship to happiness and longevity.

What I learned from Dr. Keltner this time around was that experiencing awe can also lead to a profound sense of connection and community. You see, awe is often experienced in the vastness of nature and art—standing at the peak of a mountain or listening to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”. Traditionally solitary activities, or moments. However, it turns out that awe can also be found in collective movements—namely, through collective effervescence. Think the feeling of unity while singing at a concert, the camaraderie of running a marathon, or the shared energy of chanting ‘Om’ with other people.

Sh*t that’s right! I need to learn more.

I went back in time and found that collective effervescence was first studied by French sociologist Émile Durkheim, one of the founding figures in sociology. In his 1912 book, "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life", Durkheim describes collective effervescence as the shared sense of awe experienced during some group rituals. 

Originally explored in the context of religious rituals, the concept of collective effervescence can be found in today’s 'modern churches'—think sports fandoms, concerts, or community gatherings. If your friend follows a soccer team 'like a religion,' it's because these events can evoke the same awe and connection Durkheim observed as long as four essential elements are present:

1. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Physical gathering: Sorry mate, seems Zoom isn’t a great medium for collective effervescence. For magic to happen, people must come together in person and in a shared space. It’s the physical proximity that allows for the emotional energy to be felt, amplified, and spread among participants.

2. 🧠 Shared focus: There must be a common goal or activity for all participants to engage in—a single ritual, event, or other that directs collective attention for a ‘shared consciousness’. In other words, have all people focusing on the same thing at the same time. Let the rarity and uniqueness of that sink in, especially in today’s world. 

3. 👯 Symbols and rituals: The common goal or activity will naturally be made up of shared symbols, chants, movements or other activities uniting the group. Here, everyone plays a role while feeling part of something bigger than themselves. It’s not enough for Jimmy to sing solo; we need everyone singing together.

4. 🙌 Emotional synchronization: When individuals experience similar emotions at the same time, it fosters a sense of unity and collective consciousness. In other words, all of the above and the spreading and sharing of emotions creates a positive flywheel that continues to deepen the collective experience.

The magic of collective effervescence is that it shifts our focus from the self to the collective, making us feel small and connected to something larger than ourselves at the same time. This feeling promotes prosocial behaviors, reduces stress, and enhances overall well-being.

So yes, you can pray by yourself. You can take yoga classes online. You can watch your favorite team on TV. But you’re missing out on the feeling of awe in the name of efficiency. Specifically, you’re missing out on collective effervescence and all the individual and collective good that comes from it.

Here’s the challenge for you: what solo activity can you turn into to a group experience, at least once a week? Ditch your Peloton for a peloton, singing in the shower for joining a choir, and Headspace for group meditations (as a daily user of Headspace, this one will be hard for me!). Give collective effervescence a try, and let us know what worked for you!

Tired of the term ‘collective effervescence’? Here it goes again.

WEEKLY CURATION

RESOURCES AND RESEARCH

• 🐶 Dog-lovers in Madrid: Join the Chanchi Squad community for all things dog fashion, nutrition, and lifestyle—plus experiences bringing dog lovers together.

• ✈️ &Beyond: Travel that leaves our world a better place.

• 🍽️ Longer Tables: Creating connection and belonging through shared meals for cities, companies and organizations. Interested in partnering? Let us know!

• 👗 Vogue: Cafes, chatbots, and human connection. The omnichannel features consumers crave

• 🕐 Study: Between 2003 and 2022, the average time American adults spend at home has increased by 1 hour and 39 minutes per day—linked to lower levels of happiness and sense of meaning.

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The 2024 CMX Community Industry Trends Report is here. The good news: Success in engaging community members has improved significantly compared to previous years.

ONLINE EVENTS

• 😃 October 29^th : A Joyful Masterclass for Connection Professionals by Covve’s Connection Crew. Remember “Zoom calls that don’t suck”? This is it. Join our circle and get a free ticket.

• 🥳 October 31^st : Register for the live edition of Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering digital course. Become part of our circle for a 20% discount code.

OFFLINE EVENTS

• ✌️ CMX Summit 2025: Get your early bird ticket before October 31^st . The summit will take place in Redwood City, CA, in May 2025.

• 🍝 Anyone in Florence these coming months? Let's host some magic together.

BECOME PART OF OUR CIRCLE

Want more of Casa Cinco? ✌️ We’ll be launching a premium subscription next week for early access to online and offline events, exclusive discount codes, shared resources, and more.

Dare to connect.

Did a friend send this your way? Sounds like they know you. Subscribe here.

This is Curating Connection’s 44^th edition—my lucky number. Thank you for being here.