The Brain Carries the Blueprint to Your Behavior

Ellen Langer is a Harvard psychologist who wrote a book (2009) “Counterclockwise” that documented a study she and her students led in 1979 to test the idea that our environment and our thoughts can lead to how we feel, behave, and age.

The results of the study supported the idea that, if you believe you are active and vibrant your body will respond favorably. Essentially, we live in a society that quietly and sometimes not so quietly mandates that we become frail and limited as we age into our latter lifespan.

The study and my belief system is that “your brain contains the blueprint to how you will fell, behave, and indeed age.” We are the only animals on the planet who through thought can make ourselves feel happy or miserable!

Regardless of the social pressure or of the “typical and expected” behavior we are supposed to conform to, it is critical that we establish in our brains the blueprint for how we will age. Our bodies will respect and follow that blueprint to a large degree and this is really the foundation for positive psychology. However, it is much more than that to me.

Dr. Langer underscored an important reality that society has not captured yet. Our brains are the most brilliant system available to us as individuals and as a species. The chemical and electrical energy of our brains have what may be described as unlimited potential. This includes control over our health and it is my belief that one day we will tap into this potential to unlock an entirely new approach to wellness and healing.

Until that day, please bathe your brain in positive thoughts, healthy and happy attitudes, goal setting and big dreams, and ongoing forgiveness, kindness, and love. Your body will take notice and you will age with grace, health, and personal meaning.