Simon SinekHow to Stop Letting Your Own Thoughts Make You Sick, Stressed, and Stuck | Dr. Ellen Langer
Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- June 9, 2026
- Duration
- 56m
- Channel
- Simon Sinek
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Most of us are so certain about, well, everything. We think we can predict what's coming, what that off-hand comment really meant, what that look was about, what's going to go wrong. And according to Dr. Ellen Langer, that certainty is making us miserable… and possibly making us sick. Dr. Langer is a psychologist, Harvard professor, and the "Mother of Mindfulness." In her book _The Mindful Body,_ she makes the case that the way we think directly shapes the way we heal, age, stress, and recover. Her conclusion: the mind and the body were never two separate things to begin with. And we have far more agency over both than we've been led to believe In this episode you'll learn: ➡️ What mindfulness (and mindlessness) really is ➡️ The one question that can dissolve stress almost instantly ➡️ Why the story you tell yourself is more powerful than what actually happened ➡️ The study that proved people lost weight without changing their diet or exercise ➡️ The difference between nervousness and excitement (and why it matters) ➡️ Why certainty is a sign of mindlessness (not intelligence) ➡️ How your body heals faster or slower based on what you believe ➡️ Why "fighting" an illness is the wrong mindset ➡️ The simple reframe that turns every negative trait into a strength ➡️ Why confident people don't need to rely on certainty In this conversation, Ellen makes the case that virtually all of us are mindless almost all of the time. And the moment you recognize that, everything opens up. Your health, your relationships, your ability to recover from hardship. The obstacle, it turns out, has always been the assumption that there was nothing left to question. This… is A Bit of Optimism. + + + To buy a copy of Dr. Ellen Langer’s books _The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health _and _Finding Happy,_ head to: https://www.ellenlanger.me/ + + + Chapters 00:00:00 The Story We Tell Ourselves Creates Our Stress 00:01:27 What Mindfulness Actually Is 00:04:29 1 + 1 Doesn't Always Equal 2: The Power of Context 00:06:59 Is Stress Actually Hardwired? 00:08:16 Ellen's House Fire Story 00:13:19 Stress Requires Two Things 00:15:22 Is it a Tragedy or Inconvenience? 00:20:47 Emotions Are Choices: Reframing Your Biochemical Responses 00:22:26 The First Step to Mindfulness: Embracing Uncertainty 00:28:26 Age + Wisdom: Why Young People Struggle With Uncertainty 00:35:49 Who Determines the Context? The Question of Control 00:42:41 Mind Over Matter: The Experiment That Started It All 00:46:24 The Counterclockwise Study: Turning Back the Clock on Aging 00:47:07 The Mindset That Changed Bodies 00:48:02 The Placebo and Nocebo Effect: Your Mind's Power Over Health 00:49:34 The Wound Healing Study: When Perceived Time Controls Biology 00:52:01 We're Mindless Almost All the Time: The Uncomfortable Truth 00:53:14 Is There Ever a Time to Be Mindless? + + + Simon is an unshakable optimist. He believes in a bright future and our ability to build it together. Described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect,” Simon has devoted his professional life to help advance a vision of the world that does not yet exist; a world in which the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired, feel safe wherever they are and end the day fulfilled by the work that they do. Simon is the author of multiple best-selling books including _Start With Why,_ _Leaders Eat Last,_ _Together is Better,_ and _The Infinite Game._ + + + Website:http://simonsinek.com/ Leaderful: https://simonsinek.com/leaderful Podcast:http://apple.co/simonsinek Instagram:https://instagram.com/simonsinek/ Linkedin:https://linkedin.com/in/simonsinek/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/simonsinek Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/simonsinek + + + #SimonSinek
SPEAKERS
Simon Sinek
hostAuthor and speaker, host of the podcast “A Bit of Optimism.”
Dr. Ellen Langer
guestHarvard psychologist known for pioneering research on mindfulness and mind-body unity, including the “Counterclockwise Study.”
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of Simon Sinek, featuring Simon Sinek and Dr. Ellen Langer, How to Stop Letting Your Own Thoughts Make You Sick, Stressed, and Stuck | Dr. Ellen Langer explores reframe uncertainty to reduce stress and improve mind-body health outcomes Mindfulness is not synonymous with meditation; it’s a moment-to-moment sensitivity to context that naturally follows from accepting uncertainty as ubiquitous.
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