#13 - Possibility of What May Be

Hi, Theo here with your Heroic Wisdom for the week. 

Like I said last week, I had a birthday a few weeks ago, so I want to stay on the same topic - aging and how it is inevitable… or is it??

Last week we talked about movement vs. exercise from Katy Bowman and Michelle Segar’s OTMs (Opportunities to Move). 

Today I want to discuss Dr. Ellen Langer’s exploration of what may be and the psychology of possibility from her book Counterclockwise. (Read the PN on Counterclockwise here.) Just the fact that Dr. Langer doesn’t focus on what is but what may be is fascinating to me. 

You may have heard about her experiment on reminiscing. In the study, she had a group of 70-80 year olds go to a retreat where EVERYTHING was set up like it was 1959. The participants were told to talk like they were in 1959. 

What happened??

Outside observers with no knowledge of the experiment compared photos before and after - only ONE week later. Yup…you guessed it. ALL of the participants looked younger. AND there were improvements in mobility, height, weight, and posture. Height…really?!?!🤯

The crazy part!?!?

There was no fitness program. There was no nutrition program. It was just talking AS IF they were young again. 

That’s the power of our brain and what it can do in just ONE week.  

We can NOT always explain why or how things happen, but we need to know that they can and do happen.

The question is how are you using the power of your brain? I hope you are using it to stay young.

That's the psychology of possibility and our Heroic wisdom for the week.

Talk soon!