268: Can Mindfulness Make You Younger?

Your body responds to the stress of a busy morning with the same biochemical responses it would have if a tiger pounced on you in the jungle. Intellectually, these two events are completely different, but your body can't tell them apart. Genetically, we evolved to "survive," and our modern world feels very dangerous even though we actually live safe lives of luxury (relatively speaking).

Mindfulness is the conscious practice of focusing your awareness on the here and now (in all its comfort, pain, and wonder), and while the term is thrown around flippantly, the research behind it is fascinating. Your body and mind are not just connected, they are actually one interwoven system; and by returning to the present moment, you mental and physical health will improve measurably.

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Listen & Learn:

• How the simple act of paying attention and staying present could turn back the clock and physiologically make you younger
• How the mind-body connection is a misnomer—they are intrinsically intertwined
• Why we want to be responsive not reactive
• Why stress is the worry that something is going to happen (which may or may not be true) and that the result will be negative (which may or may not be true)

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr. Ellen Langer, Ph.D., is known as the mother of mindfulness. She is a social psychologist and the first female professor to gain tenure in the Psychology Department at Harvard. She is the author of 11 books and more than 200 research articles written for general and academic readers on mindfulness.

Her books include Mindfulness; The Power of Mindful Learning; On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity; Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility; and The Wiley Mindfulness Handbook.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

• Stinging Nettle

Links & References from the Show:

• Langer Mindfulness Institute Chris' Website
• Ellen's Main Site

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