I just finished reading a book called "Mindfulness" by Ellen J. Langer. While it wasn't the best psychology book I've ever read, there were a couple of key takeaways I'd like to share.
First, mindfulness is the exact opposite of mindlessness, and Langer seems to suggest that most of society suffers from the latter. When you're mindful, you don't take everything at face value. You don't merely assume, for example, that a toothbrush's only function is to clean and whiten your teeth, or that a person missing an arm must be lousy at sports. Langer stresses that in order to achieve full mindfulness, we have to throw our preconceived notions, biases, and stereotypes to the wind.
Most of us do seem to go through life in a rote, mindless fashion. We seldom question our own beliefs and the reasons why things around us happen as they do. She points out that because we begin discriminating against the elderly at an early age -- perhaps as a byproduct of seeing others do it in the household -- we deem ourselves incompetent once we get up there in years. In other words, many of the limitations we impose on ourselves are largely mental.
Moreover, the author emphasizes that we're in a better position to be mindful when certain conditions are met, e.g., we have creative control at our disposal. Is it any wonder that most employees cite micromanagement and lack of creative freedom as reasons why they bolt from their employers? Unfortunately, Corporate America has become a breeding ground for mindlessness, as employees are encouraged to merely toe the line and not question well-entrenched policies and procedures.
I think society in general has become what I like to call "think averse." Most people are cognitive misers, meaning that they'll do whatever it takes to expend as few mental resources as possible. Mindless content à la reality TV is all the rage these days, while activities that require one to think more critically -- like reading and writing -- have clearly taken a back seat.
Breaking old mindsets can help us do everything from perform better at tasks we claim to be inept at to improve our health. Many of us underestimate just how powerful the human mind can really be.
I recommend the book if you're interested in learning more about how being mindful can prove advantageous in a person's life.
Do you consider yourself mostly mindful, mindless, or a little of both?
Share your thoughts and be sure to sift through all my posts by clicking here: How to Understand People
Here's just a sampling of what you'll find:
First, mindfulness is the exact opposite of mindlessness, and Langer seems to suggest that most of society suffers from the latter. When you're mindful, you don't take everything at face value. You don't merely assume, for example, that a toothbrush's only function is to clean and whiten your teeth, or that a person missing an arm must be lousy at sports. Langer stresses that in order to achieve full mindfulness, we have to throw our preconceived notions, biases, and stereotypes to the wind.
Most of us do seem to go through life in a rote, mindless fashion. We seldom question our own beliefs and the reasons why things around us happen as they do. She points out that because we begin discriminating against the elderly at an early age -- perhaps as a byproduct of seeing others do it in the household -- we deem ourselves incompetent once we get up there in years. In other words, many of the limitations we impose on ourselves are largely mental.
Moreover, the author emphasizes that we're in a better position to be mindful when certain conditions are met, e.g., we have creative control at our disposal. Is it any wonder that most employees cite micromanagement and lack of creative freedom as reasons why they bolt from their employers? Unfortunately, Corporate America has become a breeding ground for mindlessness, as employees are encouraged to merely toe the line and not question well-entrenched policies and procedures.
I think society in general has become what I like to call "think averse." Most people are cognitive misers, meaning that they'll do whatever it takes to expend as few mental resources as possible. Mindless content à la reality TV is all the rage these days, while activities that require one to think more critically -- like reading and writing -- have clearly taken a back seat.
Breaking old mindsets can help us do everything from perform better at tasks we claim to be inept at to improve our health. Many of us underestimate just how powerful the human mind can really be.
I recommend the book if you're interested in learning more about how being mindful can prove advantageous in a person's life.
Do you consider yourself mostly mindful, mindless, or a little of both?
Share your thoughts and be sure to sift through all my posts by clicking here: How to Understand People
Here's just a sampling of what you'll find:
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