Counterclockwise

The power of possibility.

by Ellen Langer

The Prescription: Be Generous, Loving, Authentic, Direct and Open

For the past ten years I've ended my courses with one version or another of a powerpoint presentation of photos of my paintings with the most course appropriate one-liners as a way to help celebrate the end of the semester and to provide an easy way to remember some of the course highlights. The one-liners were culled from years of research. Read More

Fail, Fall, Forget

At what age do we give up the right to fail, fall, or forget? Last night Peso, our rescue dog, attacked the food we had put out in the living room for guests. He's typically well-behaved and gentle, but last night, he behaved like an animal. We quickly scolded him and decided he needed to go to canine university. Read More

Getting Beyond Guilt

I just gave an interview about guilt. The way these conversations typically go is that I start to wax eloquently (or so I imagine), and only a half of a handful of what I say ever appears in print. So here are a few nuggets (or fool's gold) that I think may be worth mentioning: Read More

Speaking Monkeyese

I recently lectured in Kuala Lumpur and am now spending a glorious few days at the Datai resort in Lawkgawi in the middle of the rain forest. As I sit on the porch, watching the monkeys converse with each other, I decide to join in. I mimic their sounds and try to anticipate the next one in what may be a logical sequence. But to no avail. Read More

Blaming the Victim

We have learned that it is reasonable never to question it, nor to pay attention to how it may be otherwise. Beliefs and behavior always make some kind of sense from the actor's perspective or else the actor would have done otherwise. Read More

Revenge is a dish best not eaten

When people misbehave, it is not out of strength. Further, just as walls do not a prison make, no matter what someone does to us, we don't have to feel belittled by it. Whatever we do feel is a matter of choice. Why ever choose to feel victimized? If we chose to feel sorry for the other person, revenge becomes unnecessary. Read More

The Medicalization of Mundane Experience: The “Syndrome” Syndrome

My fingers hurt after I've been typing all day; I get cranky and bloated once a month before I get my period; and every time I eat Chinese food I have chest pains from the MSG I consumed. Uncomfortable yes; tragic, probably not. Some sensations are, of course, worse: after radiation therapy I vomit; sometimes I have pain and muscle weakness in my shoulder. Read More

A Second Opinion About Second Opinions

The medical world often encourages us to get a second opinion before embarking on expensive procedures. While getting a second opinion may seem straightforward, a closer look reveals that the process is not so simple. There are hidden effects of language at work here: First, the word "second" is typically not as good as "first," regardless of what it modifies. Read More

Ask a Better Question to Get a Better Answer

Outside of Jeopardy and the game "20 Questions", we typically worry about answers more than questions. Yet, questions direct our information search and all but determine the answer. "Do you want chocolate or vanilla?" The question suggests you can't find a way to have them both. Read More

Same Thing Only Different

We often believe that people's behavior reveal important differences about them. But wherein does the difference lie? It's mid summer and my friends seem to have no trouble walking straight into the ocean water. I love to swim, but the water is often just too cold for me. I imagine that I look like a coward of sorts-not strong enough to brave it and jump in. Read More

Open But Not Undiscerning

My last post seems to have upset people. My intention was to suggest that we keep our minds open to the possibility of new phenomena, but perhaps the example I gave was too far from current beliefs to do the trick. Read More

A Mismatch of Theory and Evidence

Last week I was visiting a friend who was telling me about a trip to India that she and her friends took many years ago. They met a guru and asked a bystander to take a picture of them with him. Two pictures were taken, using two different cameras. When they got home and developed the film-digital cameras didn't yet exist-they found themselves in the photos but the guru was missing. Read More

Rainy Day Thoughts

It rained for so many days in Provincetown the month of June that it felt like it was never going to end. Each day of showers felt so familiar that many of us forgot what it was like to be outside enjoying the sunshine. It made me think of what happens to those experiencing depression. Depression feels like it's never going to end. Read More

More Like Dogs

Someone decided that dogs are a lower species than humans. He clearly didn't consider emotional well being-things like blame, regret, being evaluative - when coming to that conclusion. There are so many ways dogs seem superior to me, but the one I wanted to mention was their approach to "disability." Read More

Bringing the Mind and Body Together Again

As recently as a decade or so ago, members of the traditional medical establishment thought eastern methods of healing—no less the emerging western ideas of how the mind may directly affect the body—to be almost a joke. Our views about these ideas have changed greatly since then. I have been researching mind/body issues for over thirty years. Read More

Tests and Smoke Detectors

Now that we are experiencing a recession that most of us never saw coming, we can at least take away a better idea of how unpredictable life is. It's hard to know what the market is doing, even when the economy is doing well. There are those betting for and those betting against any particular stock. Read More