Interview with Ellen Langer: The Science of Non-Meditative Mindfulness

Ellen Langer is a social psychologist at Harvard University who has done four decades of research on non-meditative mindfulness. This is a unique form of attention regulation. Ellen defines mindfulness as an “active state of mind, where you notice new things.” Sounds simple, and it is. But its simplicity belies the profundity of its power.

In the course, Mindfulness and Performance, that I co-teach with Dr. Amy Baltzell at Boston University, we blend meditative mindfulness skills with Langer’s active style of mindfulness to optimize performance capacity.

In this conversation, Ellen and I discuss highlights from her many years of doing research with lots of take-aways to improve and elevate your life, work and relationships.

• Mindfulness without the meditation
• Ellen: You should know that you don’t know
• How Ellen turned back the clock for a group of old men
• Ellen’s “chambermaid study”
• Can the mind change the body?
• Does being mindful make you more likable?
• How to keep a mindful mindset

Originally published on March 1st, 2017