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Drawing on landmark work in the field and her own body of colorful and highly original experiments–including the first detailed discussion of her “counterclockwise” study, in which elderly men lived for a week as though it was 1959 and showed dramatic improvements in their hearing, memory, dexterity, appetite, and general well-being–Langer shows that the magic of rejuvenation and ongoing good health lies in being aware of the ways we mindlessly react to social and cultural cues. Examining the hidden decisions and vocabulary that shape the medical world (“chronic” versus “acute,” “cure” versus “remission”), the powerful physical effects of placebos, and the intricate but often defeatist ways we define our physical health, Langer challenges the idea that the limits we assume and impose on ourselves are real. With only subtle shifts in our thinking, in our language, and in our expectations, she tells us, we can begin to change the ingrained behaviors that sap health, optimism, and vitality from our lives. Improved vision, younger appearance, weight loss, and increased longevity are just four of the results that Langer has demonstrated.
Immensely readable and riveting, Counterclockwise offers a transformative and bold new paradigm: the psychology of possibility. A hopeful and groundbreaking book by an author who has changed how people all over the world think and feel, Counterclockwise is sure to join Mindfulness as a standard source on new-century science and healing.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 19, 2009 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780345514806
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780345514806
- File size: 1953 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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May 5, 2009
In her latest, Harvard psychology professor and author of the best-selling Mindfulness Langer introduces the concept of mindful health, "the need to free ourselves from constricting mind-sets and the limits [placed] on our health and well-being and to appreciate the importance of becoming the guardians of our own health." Langer begins with a narrative of her weeklong counterclockwise experiment, where eight elderly men lived as if they were 20 years younger-and seemed to become "younger" as a result. She segues into the psychology of possibility and how to formulate subtle changes in thinking, like challenging societal labels associated with aging. Verdict: This is not your typical consumer health or medical advice book. Langer's empowering message invites readers to become mindful custodians of their own health. Highly recommended.-Maura Sostack, Virtua Memorial Hosp. of Burlington Cty., Mount Holly, NJCopyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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