The Science of Mindlessness: A New Path to Mindfulness

If you can’t do something good for you…stop doing something bad for you.

Main points of this article:

• The general understanding of mindfulness is missing a key component.
• Because the current presentation is limited, the world is robbed of the beauty of how to easily incorporate it into our lives.
• The most fundamental way to begin to understand and incorporate mindfulness is by learning about mindlessness.
• Examples of mindlessness on individual, group, and societal levels will be discussed.
• I’ll include a suggestion to be less mindless.

Fair warning: This article is long hard to skim! But you owe yourself to try; this one’s worth it!

The 1970 study that sparked a movement

In the 1970s, a group of researchers conducted a study in a nursing home. A group of the elderly residents were given the options to make choices about their daily routines and which house plants to care for.

A year and a half later, this group was not only more cheerful, active, and alert than a similar group without these choices, but significantly more of them were still alive; less than half as many of the decision-making residents had passed away. 

In this 1976 study, “The Effects of Choice and Enhanced Personal Responsibility for the Aged: A Field Experiment in an Institutional Setting,” Dr. Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin began the exploration of how mindset, perception, activity, choice, control, and other non-physical factors can impact not only our physical self, but our overall well-being.

However, this study itself is going to become an example of mindlessness – read on to find out why.

What You’re Not Hearing About Mindfulness

This study, among 50 others, is detailed in Mindfulness by Dr. Ellen Langer, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, who coined the term. Written in 1989, Dr. Langer’s book contained no information about simple exercises. Instead, she discussed over 50 studies on mindfulness that conveyed that mindfulness is not just a technique: it is a mindset and a way of life. 

Being present, intentional, nonjudgmental, and accepting when things are outside of your control, are simple, yet primary, components of leading a life that’s better in the physical, mental, and emotional aspects.

But the best way to understand mindfulness isn’t sprawled across the Internet, as it should be, it is by understanding: mindlessness.

Mindlessness: When the Lights Are on and No One’s Home

If you desire to eat healthy, imagine if your new diet only considered healthy things to add – and no information about unhealthy things to cut! 

You can eat as much broccoli and cauliflower as you like, yet if you’re still consuming fast food, you may not be advancing towards your goal as you intended.

So what is mindlessness? 

Yes, it’s the opposite of mindfulness, and to describe it more clearly, mindlessness is:

• Being unaware – and being unaware that you are unaware!
• Being on autopilot
• Not being present 

And the consequences include:

• Making mistakes
• Decreased creativity
• Poor problem-solving
• Missed opportunities for learning and personal growth
• And one that I think is particularly damaging: lack of connection

A Cute Story About Mindlessness

There was a woman known for her roast beef recipe. But, for some reason unbeknownst to everyone, she always cut off a piece of the meat before putting it in the pan. Someone asked her why she did that, and she said, “Well, my mother did that.”

They went and asked her mother, who said, “Well, my mother did that.”

And they asked the grandmother, who said, “Well, otherwise…it wouldn’t fit in the pan!”

I’ll give us all a moment to chuckle. How could people be on autopilot like that, and never consider why she was cutting off a piece of meat? (and how many pieces of meat were wasted in the process of mindless cooking?) 

(And “how can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat??” asks Pink Floyd.) 

When Mindlessness Goes Very Wrong

Quite tragically, in a very avoidable incident, an Air Florida plane crashed in 1982. The flight crew was under no physical stress or fatigue, and the plane had nothing wrong with it.

The only problem was that during their routine takeoff control checks, the pilot and copilot did not turn on the anti-icer control – because they were so used to flying in warm weather. Unfortunately, the conditions were quite icy that day, leading to the deaths of 74 passengers. 

Mindlessness Does Affect Us All

I’m sure you’re thinking: Of course I wouldn’t do that!

Well, think again.

Common Individual Examples of Mindlessness:

• Missing your exit on the freeway.
• Talking to someone and having no idea what they just said.
• Punching your phone’s passcode into the microwave. (That’s not just me, right?)

For accessibility, here is a description of the picture: Picture of a meme from Star Wars: Anakin and Padme 4-Panel and Clueless Padme. Where Anakin says “Mindlessly punching your phone code in the microwave.” Padme says, “That’s not just me, right?” In the fourth panel, she says, “That’s not just me, right?” with more concern.

More Problematic Individual Examples:

• Doomscrolling: Swiping through videos without intention and zoning out.
• Bad Habits or Addictions: Continuing behaviors despite knowing the negative consequences. Binge watching, using alcohol or drugs, dating someone who’s a poor fit, consuming too much porn, etc.
• Believing Misinformation: Accepting something online as true without thinking about it critically or fact-checking.

Group & Societal Mindlessness:

Bystander Effect: a phenomenon where people are less likely to take an action, such as not calling the police when a woman is being murdered outside, because other people who are present are not taking action.

Groupthink: When a group of people make a poor or irrational decision in order to conform or not dissent.

AI’s Potential Impact on Our Brains: Research suggests a decline in critical thinking skills as people default to AI for convenience without reflecting on the output (MIT study). Some researchers and medical professionals (such as psychiatrist and streamer Dr. K.) anticipate cognitive atrophy. 

• Atrophy is the phenomenon that when we stop using a part of our body, that part of our body will begin to waste away. (For example, a limb you don’t use because it is in a cast will lose muscle.)
  • A.K.A. a literal, “use it or lose it.”
• In the general sense, if we stop using a skill, we lose the ability to perform that skill. For example, as GPS navigation became more popular, many people lost the ability to remember directions to places. 
• Therefore, research suggests: the less critical thinking we do, the less we will be able to think critically, i.e. reason, analyze, ponder, question, explore – you know, the stuff you’re doing right now! 
• Important Note: To be clear, research does not suggest that our brains are literally, structurally declining from these activities – as cognitive or brain atrophy is more associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Cognitive atrophy seems to be used metaphorically – and it’s very important to know these skills can be rebuilt and developed. 

(That being said, I do think AI helping to rewrite e-mails so they don’t come off as passive aggressive is a life saver. Can’t atrophy something if I’m already not good at it, right?)

Why Are We So Mindless?

Dr. Langer’s research points to a few reasons, including:

1. Automatic Behaviors: Our actions become so repetitive that we stop thinking about them, which means we may not alter our actions when needed. 
2. Premature Cognitive Commitments: When we have an opinion about something when we first encounter it, we will cling to our pre-existing belief (premature cognitive commitments) when we reencounter it. 
   • Essentially, when our mind is committed to this pre-existing belief, we do not explore other possible uses or applications. 
   • The story of the Ugly Duckling is a quaint example of this: the little duckling is considered ugly, until he leaves his situation, encounters swans, and realizes that he, too, is a beautiful swan.
   • However, we have more extreme – and potentially, devastating – examples: this one religion is right, this one race is superior, this ideology is correct. In the worst cases, these premature cognitive commitments can become blind following. 
3. Failure to Consider Context: We may forget to look at a situation from different perspectives, or perform an automatic behavior without considering that the context is different than usual (for example, the pilot situation).

What’s mindless about the “plant” study?

While working at an adult day care, a staff member announced in a meeting that the center would be giving plants to every senior in the facility. 

I said, “Have you all heard of the study where they gave older adults plants and–”

The staff said, “Yes, that’s why we’re doing this!”

Later, I went back to the original study and realized that this study was understood mindlessly. The point of the paper wasn’t, “Give older folks plants!” 

The plants were just one aspect of the study. Yes, the residents were able to choose their own plant. However, that’s the key word: choose. 

The study suggested that choice, control, and responsibility were the reasons for these dramatic physical changes. It also began the exploration of the role of mindset – noting that it was not just the mindset of the residents, but also the mindset of the facility and workers. This study suggested that it’s time to challenge traditional views of aging and senility.

And in the next few weeks, I will be highlighting many of these landmark studies that followed this one. 

The Future of This Science of Mindfulness Series

As a therapist and former scientist, I will take you through the science of mindfulness with an emphasis on mindlessness. You’ll get substantiated clinical evidence about the intertwining of the mind and body. And you’ll see how you can capitalize on this connection to improve your everyday life.

At the end of each article, I’ll give a suggestion for being more mindful (or less mindless!). 

I’ve found that for my clients, small steps can lead to greater distance in the end.

Today’s Suggestion for Decreasing Mindlessness

Studies show that tiny habit shifts are the most effective in enacting change. Let’s start with an easy one:

Before you do something routine (e.g. driving, checking your phone, eating): take a deep breath.

• Inhale through your nose for a few seconds (suggested amount: 4 seconds);
• Hold for a few seconds (suggested amount: 2-3 seconds)
• Exhale through your mouth (suggested amount: 6-8 seconds)
• After that, notice one thing in your environment (anything you see, hear, taste, feel, or smell).

That’s it!

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Further Exploration

Mindfulness by Dr. Ellen Langer

The Science of Mindfulness podcast episode with Dr. Ellen Langer

Therapy Services

If you or someone you know who lives in California is in need of therapy, I have over 12 years of experience working with adults from all walks of life. I provide both an empathetic and analytical approach, specializing in therapies including EMDR (read my guide on EMDR Therapy here). Please feel free to reach out to me through my website: www.reflectandacttherapy.com