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Huberman Lab #229 · February 3, 2025 · 2h 15m
Using Your Mind to Control Your Physical Health & Longevity
Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer — the 'mother of mindfulness' in Western psychology — on her counterclockwise study: when elderly men were immersed in an environment that recreated their youth (1959), their bodies physically reversed aging markers. The mind's model of the body is more powerful than we believe.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Highlights
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The counterclockwise study — environmental cues of youth reversed physical aging markers
Langer: elderly men placed in an environment recreating 1959 (music, TV, furniture, discussions of current events from that year) showed measurable improvements in strength, flexibility, hearing, vision, and memory after just one week.•
Mindfulness — noticing new things in the present moment — reverses automatic deterioration
Langer's definition of mindfulness: actively noticing new things. When you stop noticing (going on autopilot), the body defaults to decline. When you actively engage with novelty, the body maintains or improves function.Misc
✧Langer has been at Harvard for 40+ years — she's the first woman tenured in the psychology department
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