The Mindful Body

Explores how the way we interpret a situation can influence our health and behavior. Rather than meditation, Langer defines mindfulness as actively noticing new things, arguing that many of our limitations arise from the assumptions we unconsciously accept.

Through studies such as the printer experiment, the chambermaid study, and the Counterclockwise experiment, she shows how changing the way we perceive a situation can change the way we think, feel, and act. Full title: The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health.

Ellen J. Langer is a professor of psychology at Harvard, the first woman tenured in psychology there, and the author of Mindfulness.