Aging is often — or always — seen as an inevitable decline, a slow march toward limitations in physical, mental and social capacities. But what if much of what we attribute to aging is more a product of our mindset than biology itself?
Groundbreaking research from psychologist Ellen Langer suggests that our beliefs about aging significantly impact how we age and that adopting a positive attitude can add years to our lives and enhance the quality of those years.
She uses the phrase chronic health as opposed to chronic illness. The word “chronic” is used to describe a condition that persists over a long time, as opposed to an “acute” condition that is short-lived.
What if our good health could be a chronic situation? Have you ever had a doctor say you have chronic health? What a prognosis that would be. The older we get, the more we begin to accept the idea of chronic decline, but maybe there is another choice.
Langer’s theories on attitude and aging are based on years of research. At 77 years of age, she has accumulated 50 years of discovery about the mind-body connection.
Her latest book is titled “The Mindful Body.” In it, she draws on her lifetime of expertise and trailblazing research by revealing that mindfulness has the capacity to transform our lives.
One book reviewer said, “Opening the door to her pioneering Harvard lab, Langer uncovers the secret of how the mind and the body are in fact a single system, and if we embrace the idea of mind-body unity, new possibilities for controlling our health become available to us.”
Typically, doctors and health professionals emphasize genetics and family history. We are asked for detailed information about our family history and what our parents, grandparents and siblings suffered. But I don’t think I’ve ever had a doctor ask me what my attitude is about my health or whether I anticipate illness or being healthy.
Yet Ellen Langer would say our attitude may be the most significant indicator of our physical well-being.
The chapter on the phenomenon called the placebo effect is stunning. We all know about the placebo, but have we really considered its actual impact on our own lives? What can possibly explain the effect of a sugar pill without acknowledging that your mind can heal?
Pharmaceutical companies have to deal with this issue every time they bring a new drug to market. The placebo effect is their worst nightmare.
I leave you with this one quote from Langer: “The magic lies in being aware of the way we mindlessly react to social and cultural cues. We need to challenge the idea that the limits we assume are real must exist for us at all.
“With only subtle shifts in our thinking, our language, and in our expectations, we can begin to change the ingrained behaviors that sap creativity, health, optimism, and vitality from our lives. Improved vision, younger appearance, weight loss, increased longevity, and of course, increased creativity are just five of the many experimental results that are a consequence of these subtle changes.”
Find Connie’s book, “Daily Cures: Wisdom for Healthy Aging,” at www.justnowoldenough.com.
