Latest news with #EllenLanger
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Dr Mark Rowe: ‘There's something deeply moving about the way David Attenborough captures our planet's ecosystems'
BOOK: Mindful Body For years I've been deeply fascinated by the groundbreaking work of Harvard Professor Ellen Langer, whose research into the psychological aspects of health and wellbeing has opened up new perspectives for me. Her latest book, Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health, offers an illuminating exploration of the powerful interplay between the mind and body, shedding new light on how our mental states profoundly influence our physical health. TV: Attenborough Few things inspire awe and wonder more than the documentaries of David Attenborough, whose work continues to offer a breathtaking window into the beauty, fragility and complexity of the natural world. There's something timeless and deeply moving about the way he captures our planet's ecosystems, reminding us of our interconnectedness with all living things. Closer to home, I find the RTÉ series Tracks & Trails a refreshing escape into the Irish countryside, providing both inspiration and motivation to explore the beauty of the natural landscapes on our own doorstep. SONG: Thunderstruck My tastes are as eclectic as they come. There's nothing quite like the electrifying energy of Thunderstruck by AC/DC to kick-start a workout or lift my spirits. And, recently, I had the pleasure of attending an Andrea Bocelli concert at the 3Arena, and it was nothing short of magical. FESTIVAL: Blackwater opera Living in Waterford, I'm fortunate to access some truly exceptional arts and culture festivals. The Blackwater Valley Opera Festival at Lismore Castle is, without doubt, one of the standout highlights of the year for me. The sheer quality of the opera performances, set against the majestic backdrop of Lismore Castle, birthplace of the great scientist Robert Boyle, creates an otherworldly experience. Equally, the Spraoi Arts Festival each August is a must-see event.
The Star
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Star
Sunny Side Up: Choosing to live a psychologically rich life
According to Harvard professor Ellen Langer, when we live on autopilot, 'we're not there to know we're not there'. Life happens, but we can often miss it. Prof Langer, who has spent decades studying mindfulness, talks about the cost of mindlessness – the time we lose when we stop noticing our lives. We meet deadlines. We answer messages. We keep things ticking over. But there are days, sometimes weeks, where nothing quite stands out. That sense – of time moving quickly but without texture – is something many people recognise, even if they don't name it. And while the common advice might be to find meaning or purpose, another term has emerged in recent years that's worth our attention: psychological richness. The concept was introduced by University of Chicago psychology professor Shigehiro Oishi and colleagues, who describe it as a life characterised by 'variety, novelty, and interest'. They suggest that while happiness and meaning are important, they can become repetitive, and sometimes even dull, if they're not accompanied by a richness of experience. Psychological richness refers to a life filled with varied, emotionally engaging, and thought-provoking experiences. It's the kind of richness that emerges not from comfort or routine, but from moments that challenge, surprise, or stir something in us. It might involve trying a new skill, having different or unexpected conversations, or taking an interest in something outside your orbit. There's real wisdom in the advice to 'Try something new every day'. Perhaps we needn't go as far as every day, but new experiences certainly help us to feel less like we're 'going through the motions' and more like we're living life. Of course, routine is important. There's comfort in structure and habit, and for many, it provides a sense of stability. But without the occasional jolt of novelty, we risk becoming mentally stagnant. Without new experiences, we also risk falling into a kind of emotional flatness. The days may be filled, but they aren't fulfilling. While the language of 'burnout' or 'stress' is common, less spoken about is this sense of detachment, where time passes but little feels meaningful. It's not always obvious. Sometimes it's a lack of enthusiasm, or a sense that conversations feel recycled. Other times it's the feeling of looking back on a year and struggling to recall moments that felt significant. This is where psychological richness offers something distinctive. Unlike happiness, which can centre on ease, or purpose, which looks to direction, richness offers depth. To have experiences that affect us deeply, we need to consciously engage in seeking out the new and novel. Varied experiences stretch us. They're thought-provoking, and evoke emotion. The danger in avoiding such moments isn't catastrophe – it's inertia. The feeling that life has become too carefully managed. In her book, The Top Five Regrets Of The Dying (2011), Bronnie Ware notes that the most common regret people voiced was, 'I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me'. To live true to who we are isn't only a matter of values. It's also making space for experiences that speak to our curiosity and spirit – especially when they don't serve a neat purpose. A rich life, psychologically speaking, goes beyond efficiency or comfort. It allows for the unexpected, the awkward, the unfamiliar – and recognising the value these things can bring. That might mean starting something new later in life. It might mean sitting with a book you don't immediately enjoy, or joining a group activity without knowing whether you'll fit in. In all these cases, the point isn't to become someone else. It's to wake up to what you might be missing when life is always lived within the usual bounds. To borrow the oft-repeated mantra from bank chairman Datuk Lee Lung Nien, psychological richness invites us to 'Get a life'. He advises that becoming a more well-rounded person doesn't just make us more interesting to others – it makes us more interested in others as we become more open and curious. Those who live psychologically rich lives tend to become more emotionally attuned. They ask better questions, and they listen with greater attention. Not because they've trained themselves to, but because they've cultivated a sense of pleasure in looking beyond the normal. Psychological richness doesn't require radical change. It simply asks that we notice what we're doing, and why. It also encourages us to resist the impulse to fill every spare moment with convenience or noise, and instead make space for moments we don't plan or measure. A psychologically rich life doesn't promise happiness; instead, it makes us feel we're living life rather than letting life happen around us. And as the years pass, we might come to remember them not because they were productive, but because something stirred us, stayed with us, and gave shape to our life in a way we could feel, not just remember. Sunny Side Up columnist Sandy Clarke has long held an interest in emotions, mental health, mindfulness and meditation. He believes the more we understand ourselves and each other, the better societies we can create. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail lifestyle@ The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Harvard study that reversed aging proves the power of gene expression
Orange and yellow leaves flew by the car window, as the early hints of fall began to show. It was 1981. Ellen Langer was in a van with one research assistant, and a dozen elderly men. All were in their 70s and 80s, bound for a special location at a large monastery to the north. The older men chatted about everyday life. Some were married and all were retired. Many had health conditions, mobility issues, and used canes. Two hours later, they arrived at a massive monastery in rural New Hampshire. It was a sparsely populated town. The men knew they were there for a study with Professor Langer, but knew nothing else of the intention. Langer was an esteemed Harvard professor and hoping to do another groundbreaking study on aging and its interplay with psychology. She would succeed and reveal an insight that lives on to this day. At the start of their study, they tested each man's grip strength, balance, cognition, memory, and mobility. Then, Ellen began their plan for the week. There were movie screenings of films from these men's youth that they all loved. They were brought together for discussions and memories from their teenage years, things that brought them happiness, and also frustration. They talked about the first dates they went on. On another night, the men listened to a radio broadcast from 1959: the Preakness race which was won by Royal Orbit. Another night, they screened Anatomy of a Murder. The entire week was focused on things that reminded them of being young — and it paid off. Each day, the men gained more energy and strength. They were moving more, and on the 5th day, they were even playing touch football, despite many of them having limps at the start of the study. When the men were tested at the end of the study, Ellen Langer was stunned: they had massive improvements in their mobility, cognition, and memory, and even reported less pain. Langer's research revealed the power of labels and identity on our gene expression. Because men tapped into environmental cues and memories that reminded them of being young, their bodies came to life with a youthful vitality they had long missed. What's amazing is that the men not only felt younger, their bodies physically morphed to resemble younger bodies. Langer suggests that the labels we are given by doctors, especially when we are sick, have huge consequences on the way we feel and live. Her study built on the insight that genes can be changed in the way they manifest. Your beliefs can cause your body to express them like hidden members of an orchestra waiting for their turn. Langer did other groundbreaking studies, including showing that giving nursing home patients plants to take care of improved their health and cognitive function and even led to greater longevity. She showed how people performed far better in memory tests when they had duties requiring memorization. You tend to live in a passive state of identity that is defined by your age, status, health, self-beliefs, and more. You subconsciously think, 'I am old so I'm supposed to be tired and forgetful.' It elevates those exact symptoms. The practice of optimism and tricking your own mind can alter how you perform in subtle, important ways. A perfect example of the power of belief is how drugs often struggle to make it through clinical trials because they can't outperform placebo alternatives. One man was rushed to the hospital in fear of having overdosed (intentionally), only to have his doctor show up and tell him he was part of a clinical trial and was taking placebos. His vitals all resembled him having overdosed and the doctors at the ER even believed it. It was all sugar pills. Another man was taking new blood pressure meds that significantly helped his hypertension, only to find out they were placebo. Such placebo effects have even been proven when the person knows it's a placebo. No, this doesn't mean you should avoid doctors' orders or try to think your way to good health — but there is value in acting in good faith and believing in the things you want to happen, and that could even remotely be true about yourself. It has become a massive cliche in the self-help world to talk about the power of belief. It's better to think of this as eliciting a response from your body that is already waiting dormant. Per Langer's research, if you adopt the mindset of your younger, more vibrant self, think back on the things that brought you so much joy, and attempt to live like a younger person (minus all the indulgence), you could potentially inject massive energy into your life. It starts with a leap of faith to believe things to be true. As I look back at my own life, I have never found success in anything where I spent my time doubting myself over and over. There were plenty of times I felt insecure, and still do, but it was always underpinned by a feeling of, 'I can do this.' Anytime I've been sick, the act of thinking about how sick I am has only made it worse. It is like watching a needle go into your arm. It always hurts far worse, because you feed into it. The mind matters more than most people already appreciate. There's virtue in getting drunk on self-belief in a strategic way, and in choosing to feel healthy and vibrant, to go out and be happy and do things, to value your intelligence for what it truly is rather than sit around and compare it to what it isn't.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Harvard study that reversed aging proves the power of gene expression
Orange and yellow leaves flew by the car window, as the early hints of fall began to show. It was 1981. Ellen Langer was in a van with one research assistant, and a dozen elderly men. All were in their 70s and 80s, bound for a special location at a large monastery to the north. The older men chatted about everyday life. Some were married and all were retired. Many had health conditions, mobility issues, and used canes. Two hours later, they arrived at a massive monastery in rural New Hampshire. It was a sparsely populated town. The men knew they were there for a study with Professor Langer, but knew nothing else of the intention. Langer was an esteemed Harvard professor and hoping to do another groundbreaking study on aging and its interplay with psychology. She would succeed and reveal an insight that lives on to this day. At the start of their study, they tested each man's grip strength, balance, cognition, memory, and mobility. Then, Ellen began their plan for the week. There were movie screenings of films from these men's youth that they all loved. They were brought together for discussions and memories from their teenage years, things that brought them happiness, and also frustration. They talked about the first dates they went on. On another night, the men listened to a radio broadcast from 1959: the Preakness race which was won by Royal Orbit. Another night, they screened Anatomy of a Murder. The entire week was focused on things that reminded them of being young — and it paid off. Each day, the men gained more energy and strength. They were moving more, and on the 5th day, they were even playing touch football, despite many of them having limps at the start of the study. When the men were tested at the end of the study, Ellen Langer was stunned: they had massive improvements in their mobility, cognition, and memory, and even reported less pain. Langer's research revealed the power of labels and identity on our gene expression. Because men tapped into environmental cues and memories that reminded them of being young, their bodies came to life with a youthful vitality they had long missed. What's amazing is that the men not only felt younger, their bodies physically morphed to resemble younger bodies. Langer suggests that the labels we are given by doctors, especially when we are sick, have huge consequences on the way we feel and live. Her study built on the insight that genes can be changed in the way they manifest. Your beliefs can cause your body to express them like hidden members of an orchestra waiting for their turn. Langer did other groundbreaking studies, including showing that giving nursing home patients plants to take care of improved their health and cognitive function and even led to greater longevity. She showed how people performed far better in memory tests when they had duties requiring memorization. You tend to live in a passive state of identity that is defined by your age, status, health, self-beliefs, and more. You subconsciously think, 'I am old so I'm supposed to be tired and forgetful.' It elevates those exact symptoms. The practice of optimism and tricking your own mind can alter how you perform in subtle, important ways. A perfect example of the power of belief is how drugs often struggle to make it through clinical trials because they can't outperform placebo alternatives. One man was rushed to the hospital in fear of having overdosed (intentionally), only to have his doctor show up and tell him he was part of a clinical trial and was taking placebos. His vitals all resembled him having overdosed and the doctors at the ER even believed it. It was all sugar pills. Another man was taking new blood pressure meds that significantly helped his hypertension, only to find out they were placebo. Such placebo effects have even been proven when the person knows it's a placebo. No, this doesn't mean you should avoid doctors' orders or try to think your way to good health — but there is value in acting in good faith and believing in the things you want to happen, and that could even remotely be true about yourself. It has become a massive cliche in the self-help world to talk about the power of belief. It's better to think of this as eliciting a response from your body that is already waiting dormant. Per Langer's research, if you adopt the mindset of your younger, more vibrant self, think back on the things that brought you so much joy, and attempt to live like a younger person (minus all the indulgence), you could potentially inject massive energy into your life. It starts with a leap of faith to believe things to be true. As I look back at my own life, I have never found success in anything where I spent my time doubting myself over and over. There were plenty of times I felt insecure, and still do, but it was always underpinned by a feeling of, 'I can do this.' Anytime I've been sick, the act of thinking about how sick I am has only made it worse. It is like watching a needle go into your arm. It always hurts far worse, because you feed into it. The mind matters more than most people already appreciate. There's virtue in getting drunk on self-belief in a strategic way, and in choosing to feel healthy and vibrant, to go out and be happy and do things, to value your intelligence for what it truly is rather than sit around and compare it to what it isn't.
