Mindfulness is not meditation but daily awakening.

According to Harvard University Professor Ellen J. Langer, mindfulness does not require sitting in meditation, it is a process of intentionally paying attention to everything, every change of the mind. And this attention can open up a remarkable recovery ability that modern medicine has not yet touched.

Professor. Ellen J. Langer - Photo: Harvard University

The book The Mindful Body (The Power of the Mind - The Key to Health Care from Within) by Professor of Social Psychology Ellen J. Langer has brought a scientific and close perspective on mindfulness and revealed new things about how mindfulness transforms our lives.

When the mind is awakened, the body also reacts strongly.

Ellen Langer began her research journey after witnessing what her mother went through with breast cancer.

Through various studies and experiments, she realized that during the treatment process, the patient's psychological factors are often overlooked and that can seriously affect the recovery results.

From there, Langer devoted himself to demonstrating that the mind could directly influence physical health, expanding the scope of research in psychological medicine.

Langer pointed out that: the mind and the body are actually a unified whole. When the mind is awakened, the body also reacts strongly.

This is evidenced through the book's richly emotional stories, from miraculous recoveries of patients thanks to a change in mindset to the story of Langer's late mother, who helped her deeply feel the presence and true meaning of mindfulness.

Mindfulness, the bridge between mind and health

According to Dr. Ellen J. Langer, when we practice mindfulness, we notice things we didn't notice before and we realize that we don't know things we thought we knew.

In chapter 8, Paying Attention to Change, she and her students conducted a study that showed that practicing mindfulness—specifically paying attention to changes in the body—can help people actively control their heart rate.

In the experiment, study participants were asked to measure their own heart rate several times a day, record their activities, and observe the increases and decreases in their heart rate. The goal was to help them recognize the constant changes in their bodies.

After a week of such monitoring, participants returned to the lab and were asked to intentionally increase or decrease their heart rate without any instructions on how to do so.

Mind Power Book

The results showed that the group that frequently paid attention to change was better able to control their heart rate. Furthermore, those who scored higher on Langer's mindfulness scale were better able to do this, regardless of the experimental condition the participants were assigned to.

Drawing on compelling scientific evidence, the author asserts that paying attention and being present in every moment of life not only improves mental health but also stimulates the body to recover, reduces stress, and even slows down the aging process.

These stories not only shed light on scientific principles but also touch the hearts of readers, making them realize the hidden power within their own minds, thereby leading to healthier and more fulfilling lives.

Dr. Ellen J. Langer is a professor of psychology at Harvard and the first woman to be awarded a full professorship in psychology there.

With over 40 years of research, she is globally renowned for her pioneering research on mindfulness, not in the conventional direction of meditation, but in the active awareness of everyday life.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chanh-niem-khong-phai-la-ngo-thien-ma-la-su-thuc-tinh-moi-ngay-20250527204342669.htm