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Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People

Ellen Langer: The Mother of Mindfulness

Sep 27, 2023
Renowned as the 'mother of mindfulness', Ellen Langer discusses the power of 'because' and different forms of empathy. She emphasizes the importance of integrating mindfulness and psychology alongside medical advice. The impact of mindfulness on well-being and decision-making is explored, while also discussing the limitations of empathy.
01:00:51

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Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Our thoughts and perspectives can profoundly shape our health, happiness, and well-being through mindfulness and actively noticing new things.
  • Predictions are illusions, and events are neither inherently positive nor negative; mindfulness plays a crucial role in decision-making by reducing stress and embracing uncertainty.

Deep dives

Ellen Langer's Research on Mindfulness and its Impact on Health and Well-being

Ellen Langer, a renowned psychologist, has conducted groundbreaking research on the mind-body connection, mindfulness, and the psychology of possibility. Her studies demonstrate that our thoughts and perspectives can profoundly shape our health, happiness, and well-being. Langer's experiments, including the famous 'because' study, reveal the importance of actively noticing new things and questioning assumptions. She emphasizes the power of mindfulness, which involves being fully present and engaged in the current moment, rather than being mindless or on autopilot. Being mindful has shown to improve vision, hearing, chronic symptoms, and overall physical and mental health. Langer suggests that by adopting a mindset of uncertainty and actively noticing new things, we can tap into our potential, make better decisions, and live more fulfilling lives.

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