By Ellen J. Langer, Ph.D. New York: Ballantine Books (2009)
Reviewed by Mary Jane Leone, M.Ed.
Award-winning social psychologist, Dr. Ellen Langer, poses some fascinating questions in this book. What would happen if we could "turn back the clock" psychologically? Could we experience positive changes in our lives? By opening our minds to what is possible, can we enhance our mental and physical health at any age?
I gained new knowledge and insight about mindful health
from this riveting, readable book. Based on her highly original experiments
over thirty years, the author challenges us to question our assumptions about
our physical and mental limitations. She illustrates how subtle changes in our
thinking and the development of mindfulness can have powerful effects on our
behavior and vitality.
Dr. Langer makes a convincing case about "the need
to free ourselves from constricting mindsets” which place limits on our health
and well-being. She shares
many examples of how stereotypes, generalizations and unquestioned
"truths" can become self-defeating. The author offers practical
suggestions to help the reader learn to question these presumed limits and reap
the benefits of what she calls "the psychology of possibility".
This book focuses primarily on applications for health
and aging. However, I found it
exciting to extrapolate these insights to the areas of leadership and career
development. What might happen if
we reengineered our ideas about our abilities and chances for success? There are many self-imposed limitations
that keep us from success. For example:
"I'm too old to acquire a new skill", "This problem is so
difficult it has no solution", "The state of the economy is so bad
that it's impossible to succeed", "My co-workers will never be able
to work as a team", among others.
By questioning such assumptions and mindfully thinking
outside the box, we can truly open up a whole world of possibilities, in our
personal lives as well as in the workplace.