Philosophy For Our Times Being mindful in a mindless world | Ellen Langer
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Jun 24, 2025 
In this engaging conversation, Ellen Langer, a Harvard Psychology Professor and author of 'The Mindful Body', dives into the transformative power of mindfulness. She explores how most of us drift through life mindlessly, missing out on profound benefits. Langer discusses the contagious nature of mindfulness and its impact on cognitive performance. She also emphasizes the mind-body connection, challenging traditional views on health while encouraging a curious mindset to appreciate everyday experiences. This episode is a treasure trove for anyone looking to live more fully!
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Mindfulness Beyond Meditation
- Mindfulness is noticing new things about the familiar and seeing uncertainty in knowledge.
- Most people are mindless, acting like automatons driven by past habits, missing vitality and presence.
Mindfulness Transforms Health and Judgment
- Mindful people live longer and can improve functions thought lost like vision and hearing.
- Negative judgments arise from mindlessness; understanding behavior from the actor's perspective reveals value in actions.
Mindfulness May Be Contagious
- A study showed cognitive benefits in people entering a room recently occupied by meditators.
- This suggests mindfulness can be contagious and spread through environments without direct practice by all.
