Ellen J. Langer
Harvard psychology professor
Ellen J. Langer is an American psychologist and Harvard professor who studies mindfulness, aging and decision-making.
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American Born 1947 in The Bronx, United States
About Ellen J. Langer
Ellen Jane Langer was born on March 25, 1947. She is a professor of psychology at Harvard University, where in 1981 she became the first woman to receive tenure in psychology. Her research looks at how people perceive control, how they make choices and how they age, along with the theory of mindfulness. She has been called the "mother of mindfulness". Her book Counterclockwise, published in 2009, was the first test of her mind/body unity theory. Her honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, three Distinguished Scientist awards and the Arthur W. Staats Award for Unifying Psychology. The Mindful Body, published in 2023, makes the case that people hold considerable influence over their own health, drawing on her idea of mind/body unity.