Nov 05, 20 ellen langer is an artist and harvard psychology professor who authored 11 books on the illusion of control, perceived control, successful aging and decisionmaking. Oct 01, 2018 langer, the first woman to be tenured in harvards psychology department, has spent decades studying both mindless behavior and its opposite, making her the mother of mindfulness to many. It is a book based on experiments with real people that draw meaningful conclusions. In this book, langer urges us to view aging as more of a process, not as degeneration, and to be aware of our language as it applies to various aspects of our life and health in the belief that we can create our own placebo effect just by. Ellen langer once said that virtually all the worlds ills boil down to mindlessness. Learn more about ellen s new book counterclockwise. Among other honors, langer is the recipient of a guggenheim fellowship and the apa award for distinguished contributions to psychology in the public interest. Langer and her team of researchers at harvard made its mark for its unique concept of mindfulness, thoroughly adapted to contemporary life in the west. Ellen langer proposed a sociocognitive perspective, which conceives mindfulness as the process of drawing novel distinctions langer and moldoveanu 2000. In the 1970s, langer and her graduate students embarked on a quest to discover the biological impact of acting as if it were twenty years earlier on a group of elderly men.
In the landmark counterclockwise study, mature adults lived for a week as though they were their younger selves and became younger psychologically and physically now this transformation is possible for you or your parent at ellen langer s counterclockwise retreat in a relaxed. Ellen langer science of mindlessness and mindfulness the. However, it is not exactly the kind of mindfulness that you read about in meditation tutorials and spiritual books. The art of noticing is the culmination of research on mindlessness and mindfulness conducted by dr. Apr 01, 1989 ellen langer is a psychologist from harvard university who has spent much of her career researching the differences between mindfulness and mindlessness. Aug 02, 2012 thinking counter clockwise to beat stress psychologist ellen langer has spent 30 years researching mindfulness, which she describes as the process of letting go of preconceived notions and. Encouraging the application of mindfulness to health, the author affirms that placebos and alternative. She has written many books including the best selling, mindfulness, the power of mindful learning, on becoming an artist. In counterclockwise, harvard psychology professor, ellen langer, presents powerful evidence showing just how true that is. The power of mindful learning the langer mindfulness. I began to realize that ideas about mindbody dualism were just that, ideas, and a different, nondualist view. In the power of mindful learning, ellen langer uses her innovative theory of mindfulness, introduced in her influential earlier book.
She is also coeditor of higher stages of development and beliefs, attitudes and decision making. Christiane northrup, md, author the secret pleasures of menopause and the wisdom of menopause awareness mindfulness is the first step in healing. Simply put, mindfulness is the process of noticing things, of being engaged in the present. Langer discusses the negative impact of mindsets on business and social relations, showing special concern for the elderly, who often suffer from learned helplessness and lack of options. Ellen langer s work has been an inspiration to me for years. Thinking counter clockwise to beat stress psychologist ellen langer has spent 30 years researching mindfulness, which she describes as the process of letting go of preconceived notions and. The occasion was the new 25thanniversary edition of her first book on the subject. Ellen langer, professor of psychology of harvard medical school and leading mindfulness researcher, explains, most people much of the time are mindless. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. As harvard social psychologist ellen langer discovered in her now famous counterclockwise study, the key is the human mind. But the study also helped launch langers next 30 years of research and a slew of seemingly simple concepts that have changed the field of social psychology and made their way into the realms of medicine, education, business, law, and the arts. For most of us, the answer is probably yes, but these small mistakes, the author believes, are the tip of a mindlessness iceberg. Ellen langer science of mindlessness and mindfulness. If we could turn back the clock psychologically, could we also turn it back physically.
Take a smart, creative social scientist, without any respect for conventional wisdom and you get ellen langer. Counterclockwise research the langer mindfulness institute. Radical in its implications, this original and important work may change forever the views we hold about the nature of learning. Mindfulness was the product of over 50 experiments, mostly with elderly people. Ellen langer, a harvard psychologist and guggenheim fellow, is widely known as the mother of mindfulness.
Maybe its mindfulness mindfulness its a word that many people equate with meditation, but it actually is the simple process of noticing new things. The group who went first stayed for one week and were asked to pretend they were young men, once again living in the 1950s. The langer mindfulness scale is a 21item questionnaire intended for use as a training, selfdiscovery, and research instrument. Immensely readable and riveting, counterclockwise offers a transformative and bold new paradigm. Jennifer aniston helps mindful health study go hollywood.
Ellen langer, has conducted extensive research on the practice of mindfulness and insists that it can have enormous, profound effects. Ellen langer is a professor in the psychology department at harvard university. Ellen langers experiments have shown that mental attitudes might reverse. This book is packed with amazing research stories and wisdom to bring more mindfulness to our lives and tap into our latent potential. Langer is the author of eleven books, including the international bestseller mindfulness, which has been translated into fifteen languages, and more than. Mindful health and the power of possibility unabridged by langer, ellen j. Ellen langer talks mindfulness, health harvard gazette. Ellen langer presents fascinating scientific data to support this view and argues convincingly that we should learn to take greater control of our health through the practice of mindfulness. Shes published over 200 research articles, six academic books, and won numerous academic honors. Counterclockwise retreat the langer mindfulness institute. In counterclockwise, ellen langer, a renowned social psychologist at harvard, suggests that our beliefs and expectations impact our physical health at least as much as diets and doctors do. Choice and control in everyday life 1989 ellen langer have you ever said excuse me to a store mannequin or written a check in january with the previous years date. Ellen langer says mindfulness is achievable without meditation or yoga. It assesses four domains associated with mindful thinking.
Mindfulnessthe unconventional research of psychologist ellen. When psychologist ellen langer asked participants at a seminar to talk. The goal of this book is to convince you to open your mind and take back what is rightfully, sensibly, importantly yours. Langers technique of achieving a state of mindfulness is different from. At times i found myself not being mindful of the words on the page. Among other honors, langer is the recipient of a guggenheim fellowship and the apa award for distinguished contributions to psychology in. Mindful health and the power of possibility by ellen j. Over 35 years of studying mindfulness, she has authored 200 research articles and 11 books on the subject, including mindfulness and counterclockwise. The experiments led langer to believe that the protectiveness of nursing homes leads to reduced autonomy and responsibility, which hastens ageing. In 1981, early in her career at harvard, ellen langer and her colleagues piled two groups of men in their seventies and eighties into vans, drove them two hours north to a sprawling old monastery in new hampshire, and dropped them off 22 years earlier, in 1959. Counterclockwise will change the way you think about your health for the better. Ellen langer on the value of mindfulness in business. Langer s experiment of the 1959s living environment is enough to say to us how much we can control in our lives and how much control we give away in many ways because of our often mindless. Jul 08, 2019 ellen langer once said that virtually all the worlds ills boil down to mindlessness.
In the book mindfulness, the author ellen langer a professor of psychology at harvard university and also the author of the power of mindful learning brilliantly highlights the notion of mindfulness as a daytoday life practice in a very compelling manner. She spoke to us about the power of psychology, the problem with absolutes, and more. Mar 11, 2019 as harvard social psychologist ellen langer discovered in her now famous counterclockwise study, the key is the human mind. She argues that, as we grow older, our physical limitations are largely determined by the way we think about ourselves and what were capable of.
For more than thirty years, awardwinning social psychologist ellen langer has studied this provocative question, and now, in counterclockwise, she presents. In the years since it was first published, this influential book based on the highly innovative findings of social psychologist dr. Langer shows us that creativity is not a rare gift that only some special few are born with, but rather an integral part of everyones makeup. She is the author of eleven books and more than two hundred research articles written for general and academic readers on mindfulness for over 35 years. Ellen langer science of mindlessness and mindfulness the on. Ellen langer is one of the worlds leading research scientists, a professor of psychology at harvard, a painter, and a brilliant human being. Deepak chopra ellen langers work has been an inspiration to me for years. The physiological results provided evidence for a simple but invaluable fact. The book cites the evidence of studies done by ellen langer and colleagues as well as others and starts you on the road towards being mindful. Counterclockwise, her latest book, will change the way you think about your health for the better.
Mindful health and the power of possibility is a mind expanding, enthralling book with implications for living a mindful, happy life. Subsequently, i realized that making choices results in mindfulness, and perhaps our surprise was because of the mindlessness we shared with most of the culture. Christiane northrup, md, author the secret pleasures of menopause and the wisdom of menopause awarenessmindfulnessis the first step in healing. Mindfulness, 25th anniversary edition and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. She is a fantastic storyteller, and counterclockwise is a fascinating story.
She is the author of eleven books including mindfulness, the power of mindful learning, and counterclockwise. Mindful health and the power of possibility ellen j. Langer gives a steady stream of reversals of everything from stage 4 cancer, hearing, vision and memory loss, paralysis, cardiac problems and more, when we keep a mindful. Counterclockwise is a mindblowing collection of positive outcomes that trump dire predictions. A hopeful and groundbreaking book by an author who has changed how people all over the world think and feel, counterclockwise is sure to join mindfulness as a standard source on newcentury science and healing. Langer is a frequent speaker on mindfulness at academic, professional and public events. Mindful health and the power of possibility is to be made into a major motion picture starring jennifer aniston as langer. Each of the oneliners in this book has been derived from this research and paired together with original artwork created over the past 17 years. She is also the founder of the langer mindfulness institute, and is a gallery exhibiting artist. Backed by her landmark scientific work on mindfulness and artistic nature, bestselling author and harvard psychologist ellen j.
She is a fantastic storyteller, and counterclockwise is a fascinating story about the unexpected ways in which our minds and bodies are connected. Counterclockwise presents a new way to think about lifelong health and ageing. In counterclockwise, langer walks us through a fascinating array of inspiring, empiricallybased research studies looking at the subtle and not so subtle effects of language, priming, control and mindfulness that will change the way you see your health and your life. Langer is the author of eleven books, including the international bestseller mindfulness, which has been translated into. Ellen langer has demonstrated repeatedly how our limits are of our own making. She is a fantastic storyteller, and counterclockwise is a fascinating story about the unexpected. The harvard psychologists books include mindfulness, the power of. Her most influential work is counterclockwise, published in 2009. Professor ellen langer once apologized when she bumped into a mannequin, the kind of automatic, mindless response she says robs us of the benefits of being mindfully engaged in. Ellen langer eloquently describes how becoming more aware of our beliefs and expectations allows us to powerfully transform our lives for. Her books written for general and academic readers include mindfulness and the power of mindful learning, and the forthcoming mindful creativity. The studies show that older people habitually think themselves older. Read this most important book to improve your quality of life at any age.
Mindful health and the power of possibility, and has written more than. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Shes published over 200 research articles, six academic books. Deepak chopra ellen langer s work has been an inspiration to me for years. Jan 01, 2009 this is not the type of book i usually read but i was intrigued by langers counter clockwise experiment. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app.
In the power of mindful learning, ellen langer uses her innovative theory of mindfulness, introduced in her influential earlier book to dramatically enhance the way we learn. Ellen langer is a social psychologist and the first female professor to gain tenure in the psychology department at harvard university. I am always enriched by reading a publication by ellen langer. Jul 12, 2011 jennifer aniston helps mindful health study go hollywood. Her books written for general and academic readers include mindfulness, the power of mindful learning, on becoming. Ellen langer is a professor of psychology at harvard and one of the worlds leading reseachers who has been exploring what she calls the psychology of possibility for over three decades.
Counterclockwise makes a strong case for the influence of expectation and belief on how our bodies function, on how we heal, and even how we age. For more than thirty years, awardwinning social psychologist ellen langer. Ellen langer eloquently describes how becoming more aware of our beliefs and expectations allows us to powerfully transform our lives for the better. Take a brilliant, creative social scientist, without any respect for conventional wisdom and you get ellen langer. Ellen langers work has been an inspiration to me for years. I ended up liking counter clockwise mindful health and the power of possibility by ellen langer more and more as i made my way thru the book. Her message in counterclockwise is that we can always improve our health by being more mindful. Counterclockwise by ellen langer optimize with brian johnson. In business, sports, laboratories, or at home, our learning is hobbled by certain antiquated and pervasive misconceptions. Heres a quick look at 5 of my favorite big ideas from counterclockwise by ellen langer.
Langers life work is on illusion of control, aging, decisionmaking, and mindfulness theory. In both her classroom and her consultations, langer is known for her cheerfully blunt. In langer s view, mindfulness is the ability to create new categories, welcoming new information, openness to different points of view, control over context, and emphasizing process over outcome. Counterclockwise retreat add more life to your years and learn how to live the ordinary life extraordinarily. Langer studies the illusion of control, decisionmaking, aging, and mindfulness theory.
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