Rituals can be found in every human society across the world and its history in many different contexts: from complex ceremonies of contemporary religious systems, to sports, pathological gambling, and psychological disorders. One of the potential reasons for the widespread appearance of rituals is their role in decreasing anxiety, which is elicited by uncontrollable threats. Although this hypothesis is more than 100 years old, there is only little experimental research that would support or falsify this theory and investigated potential mechanisms mediating the purported effects of rituals on anxiety. In the current talk, I will present my empirical research disentangling the complex relationship between anxiety and rituals.