Mindfulness

Dust jacket notes: "Why do we spend so much of our lives 'on automatic'? Why can this state of mind be, quite literally, life-threatening? How can we learn to stay alert, in control, and open to options and possibilities we may never have considered? In this short, delightfully playful, but deeply serious book, Ellen Langer brings the essence of fifteen years of her own original and important research in social psychology directly into our everyday lives. Central to her work is the double-edged concept of mindfulness/mindlessness. When we are mindless, we are like programmed automatons, treating information in a single-minded and rigid way, as though it were true regardless of the circumstances. When we are mindful, we are open to surprise, oriented in the present moment, sensitive to context, and above all, liberated from the tyranny of old mindsets. Using apt and entertaining stories and images, Professor Langer helps us understand these states, and then shows us how it is possible both to avoid the tragic and far-reaching consequences of mindlessness and to reap the startling benefits of mindfulness: in health, productivity, overcoming addictions, avoiding burnout, and increasing our control and potential as we grow older."