Finally, they might have found why we feel so relaxed during religious ceremonies with incense smoke wafting around. Researchers have found that certain components commonly found in incense have never-soothing properties and can, therefore reduce anxiety. The tests were mostly conducted on mice. Human testing is awaited.

However, there can be other reasons that contribute to our feeling the way we feel during such ceremonies, and many of such reasons could be psychological, to speak in strictly scientific terms. Traditions themselves have a soothing effect because they effortlessly connect us with the time we were cared for by our parents and did not have to worry about things.

Of course, things might be different in the societies that tend to ‘break free’ from the ‘age-old, decaying’ traditions. They might be left with nothing to cling on to when the boat rocks.

Source: Scientific American