My daughter recommended this book about six months ago but it didn't grab me. Now I wonder what I was on. I've savored it over the past couple of weeks and I'm so happy I own a copy because I found underline-able wisdom in each chapter.

Langer's studies showed up in several recent reads including [b:Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End|20696006|Being Mortal Medicine and What Matters in the End|Atul Gawande|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408324949s/20696006.jpg|40015533], so I found myself smiling with recognition on occasion. With curiosity and insight Langer presents study after study revealing our unintened mindlessness and its farreaching and often dilitorious effects and the simple ways to move toward mindfulness and its notable benefits.

As I study and write about the ways healthy people move through change, intention is my by-word. Mindfulness, as defined by Langer, seems a perfect alternate word choice for intention. I'm sure I'll refer to this work again and again.

Here's the first article I wrote referencing Langer's wisdom. ( )

About the mindsets that lead human being - even the smartest - to become stupid and mindless. It demonstrates that mindlessness leads to dullness but on giving up on life itself.

This book is DRY. So I mindfully decided to put it down and try something with some life in it. ( )

Not really mind-blowing, but an interesting book. ( )

Langer provides a good summary for laypersons. Mindfulness for Langer refers to being aware of the present and one's thinking and environment but she is not referring to mindfulness in the sense of a meditative type of mindfulness. The research is interesting and should prompt thoughtful readers to become more aware of ways in which they tend to view the world, solve problems, and make decisions. Langer hopes that after reading the book people will become more aware and learn to lead more productive and satisfying lives. ( )