Dr. Ellen Langer

So one of the earlier titles of The Mindful Body was Who Says So? And realizing that everything that is was at one point a decision made by people with different motives, different histories, different needs. And when you put people, as I say, back in the equation, everything becomes mutable. Everything.

And so here's where I am different from many other people, better or worse, I think in this case for better, that everything can be changed. You tell me you meet this woman and she's too heavy, weight can be lost, hair can be grown. Everything can be changed. So I give a talk when I was very young and I'm here on the stage and the audience is all the way back here.

And so here's where I am different from many other people, better or worse, I think in this case for better, that everything can be changed. You tell me you meet this woman and she's too heavy, weight can be lost, hair can be grown. Everything can be changed. So I give a talk when I was very young and I'm here on the stage and the audience is all the way back here.

And so here's where I am different from many other people, better or worse, I think in this case for better, that everything can be changed. You tell me you meet this woman and she's too heavy, weight can be lost, hair can be grown. Everything can be changed. So I give a talk when I was very young and I'm here on the stage and the audience is all the way back here.

And I knew that was going to make me nervous. So what I did was move all the chairs to be closer to me. Now, if you said to anybody, can you move the chairs? Everybody would say, of course. But mindlessly, it doesn't occur to you. It doesn't occur to you that what is doesn't have to be as it is. And the older I get, the— the more malleable everything seems to be.

And I knew that was going to make me nervous. So what I did was move all the chairs to be closer to me. Now, if you said to anybody, can you move the chairs? Everybody would say, of course. But mindlessly, it doesn't occur to you. It doesn't occur to you that what is doesn't have to be as it is. And the older I get, the— the more malleable everything seems to be.

And I knew that was going to make me nervous. So what I did was move all the chairs to be closer to me. Now, if you said to anybody, can you move the chairs? Everybody would say, of course. But mindlessly, it doesn't occur to you. It doesn't occur to you that what is doesn't have to be as it is. And the older I get, the— the more malleable everything seems to be.

Even a thing, you know, to go back, I don't know why this comes to mind, but it does. If an insurance company is making a decision about what drugs to insure, Now, who said that this disorder is better or more worthy than that disorder? I say, so these are people making this decision.

Even a thing, you know, to go back, I don't know why this comes to mind, but it does. If an insurance company is making a decision about what drugs to insure, Now, who said that this disorder is better or more worthy than that disorder? I say, so these are people making this decision.

Even a thing, you know, to go back, I don't know why this comes to mind, but it does. If an insurance company is making a decision about what drugs to insure, Now, who said that this disorder is better or more worthy than that disorder? I say, so these are people making this decision.

So imagine that you have a group of nuns, they're the committee making the decision, versus a group of lusty 50-year-old men. And they're deciding whether people should be reimbursed for Viagra, for example. And that's what it's all about, you know, that when you recognize that whatever is could be different as meetings. And I deal with this when I give lectures.

So imagine that you have a group of nuns, they're the committee making the decision, versus a group of lusty 50-year-old men. And they're deciding whether people should be reimbursed for Viagra, for example. And that's what it's all about, you know, that when you recognize that whatever is could be different as meetings. And I deal with this when I give lectures.

So imagine that you have a group of nuns, they're the committee making the decision, versus a group of lusty 50-year-old men. And they're deciding whether people should be reimbursed for Viagra, for example. And that's what it's all about, you know, that when you recognize that whatever is could be different as meetings. And I deal with this when I give lectures.

You know, at some point I might say, look in the audience and see if there's usually a man. Is there a man here? It's about 6'5". Somebody always there. I don't know why. 6'5 men find me attractive. I don't know why. Anyway, I invite him to the stage and then we look ridiculous. I'm 5'3". He's 6'5". And I asked him to put his hand. He puts his hand up. His hand is three inches larger than mine.

You know, at some point I might say, look in the audience and see if there's usually a man. Is there a man here? It's about 6'5". Somebody always there. I don't know why. 6'5 men find me attractive. I don't know why. Anyway, I invite him to the stage and then we look ridiculous. I'm 5'3". He's 6'5". And I asked him to put his hand. He puts his hand up. His hand is three inches larger than mine.

You know, at some point I might say, look in the audience and see if there's usually a man. Is there a man here? It's about 6'5". Somebody always there. I don't know why. 6'5 men find me attractive. I don't know why. Anyway, I invite him to the stage and then we look ridiculous. I'm 5'3". He's 6'5". And I asked him to put his hand. He puts his hand up. His hand is three inches larger than mine.

And then I just raised the question, should we do anything physical the same? And it's ridiculous. But one of us is teaching how to do it. So the more different you are from the person who wrote the rule, the more important it is for you not to mindlessly follow the rule.

And then I just raised the question, should we do anything physical the same? And it's ridiculous. But one of us is teaching how to do it. So the more different you are from the person who wrote the rule, the more important it is for you not to mindlessly follow the rule.

And then I just raised the question, should we do anything physical the same? And it's ridiculous. But one of us is teaching how to do it. So the more different you are from the person who wrote the rule, the more important it is for you not to mindlessly follow the rule.

So you don't hold the tennis racket like this if your hand is half the size of the person who – or twice the size or anything else. And people don't realize it, that everything that is was a decision. For something to be a decision means there was uncertainty. As soon as the decision is made, we forget all that uncertainty and act as if this is the way it's supposed to be.