Need An Antidote To Mindlessness? with Ellen Langer

Ellen Langer is a Harvard psychology professor and the director of the Langer Mindfulness Institute.  She has been described as “The Mother of Mindfulness” and has authored 11 books and more than 200 articles. Her work has influenced two decades of research in positive psychology.   In this conversation, you will hear Ellen share why mindfulness doesn’t require you to sit in hours of meditation.  She explains the benefits she has found over 40 years of research for the practice of mindfulness in workplaces and what leaders can do practically to be more mindful and how they can help the people they lead to do the same.  Connect with Ellen Langer: Websites: EllenLanger.com LangerMindfulnessInstitute.com You’ll Learn: [01:30] – Ellen explains why “mindfulness” as the process of noticing new things. [02:15] – Ellen lists some benefits of mindfulness in workplaces. [06:07] – Ellen talks about the practical ways leads can be more mindful.   [08:35] – Ellen provides an example of a mindful company that turned a failed product into a successful product. [11:58] – Ellen shares how we can approach the same task differently, depending on our perception of that task and the impact this can have on our performance. [13:53] – Ellen explains the simple changes we can each make to be more mindful. [18:15] – Ellen shares the benefits she’s found of having happier workplaces [18:55] – Ellen talks about the impact mindfulness can have on our health. Your Resources: The Art of Noticing – Ellen J Langer The Dinner Party: Stories – Joshua Ferris Making It Work cheat-sheet Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.   Also, please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free! Special thanks to Ellen for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!