Dr. Ellen Langer

This says maybe I should either have a nap or... I don't nap, so I should have an energy bar. And even an energy bar is cute. It's just a candy bar. But you call it an energy bar, you're allowed to eat it. It's like you take a piece of cake, put it in a muffin tin. It's called a muffin. It's healthier than the piece of cake. Anyway, be that as it may.

that a great amount of control over our physical well-being comes about by attention to variability, which is just a fancy way of talking about mindfulness. Mindfulness is noticing change. That's what it means to be variable. All right. So if you took your glasses off and you saw for yourself, what are the times, what are the moments that you're having?

that a great amount of control over our physical well-being comes about by attention to variability, which is just a fancy way of talking about mindfulness. Mindfulness is noticing change. That's what it means to be variable. All right. So if you took your glasses off and you saw for yourself, what are the times, what are the moments that you're having?

that a great amount of control over our physical well-being comes about by attention to variability, which is just a fancy way of talking about mindfulness. Mindfulness is noticing change. That's what it means to be variable. All right. So if you took your glasses off and you saw for yourself, what are the times, what are the moments that you're having?

I'm not talking about people who are almost blind, where I can see and when I can see. And then you ask yourself why. And then it may be the case that it's a particular font or more likely that you're tired and then you have other options. But once you start wearing them, it's like taking a laxative. You know, take a laxative once, it's fine.

I'm not talking about people who are almost blind, where I can see and when I can see. And then you ask yourself why. And then it may be the case that it's a particular font or more likely that you're tired and then you have other options. But once you start wearing them, it's like taking a laxative. You know, take a laxative once, it's fine.

I'm not talking about people who are almost blind, where I can see and when I can see. And then you ask yourself why. And then it may be the case that it's a particular font or more likely that you're tired and then you have other options. But once you start wearing them, it's like taking a laxative. You know, take a laxative once, it's fine.

If you're taking a laxative all the time, you're teaching your body to depend on the laxative. You teach ourselves by some of these... things that are supposed to be helpful, then we teach ourselves to need them in ways we otherwise wouldn't. And so he did this attention to symptom variability with big diseases.

If you're taking a laxative all the time, you're teaching your body to depend on the laxative. You teach ourselves by some of these... things that are supposed to be helpful, then we teach ourselves to need them in ways we otherwise wouldn't. And so he did this attention to symptom variability with big diseases.

If you're taking a laxative all the time, you're teaching your body to depend on the laxative. You teach ourselves by some of these... things that are supposed to be helpful, then we teach ourselves to need them in ways we otherwise wouldn't. And so he did this attention to symptom variability with big diseases.

So when you have a chronic illness, the way most people understand chronic illness is that there's nothing that can be done about it. Yeah, the word chronic implies that. But all it means is the medical world doesn't have a fix. It doesn't mean there's nothing can be done. Now, you have your symptoms of the chronic illness.

So when you have a chronic illness, the way most people understand chronic illness is that there's nothing that can be done about it. Yeah, the word chronic implies that. But all it means is the medical world doesn't have a fix. It doesn't mean there's nothing can be done. Now, you have your symptoms of the chronic illness.

So when you have a chronic illness, the way most people understand chronic illness is that there's nothing that can be done about it. Yeah, the word chronic implies that. But all it means is the medical world doesn't have a fix. It doesn't mean there's nothing can be done. Now, you have your symptoms of the chronic illness.

The presumption most of the time, I would think, is that the symptoms are going to stay the same or get worse. Nothing only moves in one direction. Sometimes it's a little better, sometimes a little – the stock market, it's going up. It doesn't go up in a straight line. It goes up, down a little, you know, and so on. All right. So when it's better, why is it better? So we do this.

The presumption most of the time, I would think, is that the symptoms are going to stay the same or get worse. Nothing only moves in one direction. Sometimes it's a little better, sometimes a little – the stock market, it's going up. It doesn't go up in a straight line. It goes up, down a little, you know, and so on. All right. So when it's better, why is it better? So we do this.

The presumption most of the time, I would think, is that the symptoms are going to stay the same or get worse. Nothing only moves in one direction. Sometimes it's a little better, sometimes a little – the stock market, it's going up. It doesn't go up in a straight line. It goes up, down a little, you know, and so on. All right. So when it's better, why is it better? So we do this.

We call people periodically. And we simply ask them, how is the symptom now? Is it better or worse than the last time we called? And why? Several things happen. The first, by engaging in the whole process, people feel less helpless. And that turns out to be good for your health.

We call people periodically. And we simply ask them, how is the symptom now? Is it better or worse than the last time we called? And why? Several things happen. The first, by engaging in the whole process, people feel less helpless. And that turns out to be good for your health.

We call people periodically. And we simply ask them, how is the symptom now? Is it better or worse than the last time we called? And why? Several things happen. The first, by engaging in the whole process, people feel less helpless. And that turns out to be good for your health.

Second, once you start noticing that now it's a little better, or it can even be a little worse, you feel better because you thought that it was always maximally, I'm always in pain, I'm always stressed, whatever it is. third or whatever I'm up to, by asking the question, why now is it better or worse than before, you engage in a mindful search.