Two weeks ago, I turned 50.
And I caught myself doing something subtle but dangerous: I was aging myself.
Not biologically. On paper, I’m doing great. Most longevity and biomarker tests place me 10 to 20 years younger than my chronological age. My body is strong. My health is solid.
But mentally? I had started building a quiet list of excuses.
When my son Hayden, who somehow speaks seven languages, asked why I wasn’t learning Spanish and Italian, my answer came out automatically:
“Well, you’ve got a teenager’s brain. It’s easier for you.”
When my kids invited me to join them in new physical practices, I’d hesitate.
“My wrists aren’t as solid.”
“My recovery isn’t what it used to be.”
“That’s easier when you’re younger.”
None of these thoughts sounded dramatic. They sounded… sensible.
But taken together, they formed a pattern.
I wasn’t listening to my body.
I was talking it into decline.
And then I read a fascinating study by Ellen Langer that completely messed with my worldview.
The study that was almost never published
This study was conducted in 1979.
And here’s the part most people don’t know: The results were so wild that Langer hesitated to publish them.
She feared the scientific community simply wouldn’t accept what she’d found.
At the time, the idea that belief, identity, and mindset could meaningfully alter physical aging was considered fringe, if not outright heretical.
Today, with what we now know about meditation, placebo effects, neuroplasticity, stress biology, and longevity science, her findings are far easier to digest.
But back then?
They sounded impossible.
And yet, they happened.
When you read this study—really read it—I guarantee it will change how you think about your age and your life.
Here’s what she did.
The counterclockwise experiment
Langer took a group of men in their late 70s—some close to 80—and brought them to a retreat.
No supplements.
No exercise program.
No medical interventions.
Instead, she recreated the world of 1959.
The furniture.
The music.
The magazines.
The radio broadcasts.
The conversations.
The men weren’t asked to remember 1959.
They were instructed to live as if it were happening now.
They spoke in the present tense about events from that era.
They carried their own luggage.
They weren’t treated as fragile or dependent.
They were treated as fully capable men in their prime.
And then Langer measured them—before and after.
What happened next still makes people uneasy.
What changed in just one week
After only seven days, measurable biological and physical shifts occurred.
Not opinions.
Not feelings.
Measured changes.
Their posture improved.
Several men stood taller, reversing the hunched posture we associate with aging.
Their strength and flexibility increased.
Grip strength improved. Movement became easier and more fluid.
Their memory and cognitive performance improved.
Standardized tests showed real gains.
But here’s where it gets truly mind-bending.
Their eyesight improved.
So much so that some of the men were told they needed new glasses.
Not because their vision worsened… but because it got better.
And then there’s my favorite detail.
Their fingers got longer.
No—their bones didn’t grow.
What happened was this:
Inflammation in their finger joints reduced.
As swelling decreased, the fingers could extend more fully. Mobility returned. Measurable length increased.
Aging had been masquerading as inevitability.
But it turned out to be, at least in part, reversible signaling.
Even independent observers noticed. When people who didn’t know the experiment were shown before-and-after photos, they consistently rated the men as looking younger at the end of the week.
No drugs.
No devices.
No hacks.
Just a shift in identity and expectation.
The part that hit me hard
Here’s the implication I couldn’t ignore.
These men didn’t “fix” their bodies.
They changed how they related to themselves.
They stopped behaving like old men—and their biology followed.
That’s when I realized something uncomfortable.
I wasn’t being limited by my health.
I was being limited by my self-talk.
So I changed the rules at 50
Here’s what I decided as I crossed this milestone.
I stopped telling myself I was too old.
I’m learning Spanish and Italian.
I’m picking up skills I once believed had expiration dates.
I’m experimenting with new fitness protocols weekly.
Through ClassPass, I’m trying practices I once avoided—Pilates, yoga, new movement systems. And I’m shocked at how rapidly my body adapts.
Most of all, I’ve returned to martial arts.
At 17, I was an international fighter with a double black belt in taekwondo. Competing at the U.S. Open and training at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center shaped my discipline—and my life.
Then I stopped.
Not because I had to.
Because I told myself I was “too old.”
So I’m back.
Working on flexibility. Practicing kicks and forms. Chasing a full split again—yes, like Jean-Claude Van Damme in Kickboxer.
I’ve even redesigned my living space so movement is always within reach. Between meetings, I jump up, stretch, drop push-ups, and practice kicks.
Not because I’m chasing youth.
But because I refuse premature decline.
How you talk to your body matters
What Langer later showed—in another Harvard study—is just as powerful.
She found that how you talk to your body can sometimes have a greater effect than what you give it.
Your body is always listening.
Every decision is a conversation.
When you say,
“I’m too old for this,”
you’re talking to your body.
When you say,
“Let’s try this,”
you’re talking to your body.
When you experiment with a new movement practice,
when you challenge an old belief,
when you act like possibility is still open—
you’re talking to your body.
The question is:
What kind of conversation are you having with yours?
Why I can do all this now
What’s allowing me to explore all these health practices and return to martial arts is that I’ve radically changed how I work.
By using AI to clone how I think, decide, and create, I’ve gained 50× leverage.
What used to take me 50 hours now takes one hour.
As a result, I’m starting new companies and taking a week off every month just to enjoy life.
I’m taking classes in stand-up comedy, music, and languages.
I’m traveling more.
And I’m finally making time for my body.
If you want to learn how to create that kind of time, so you can actually add health, movement, and exploration back into your life, I’m teaching a class on cloning your brain with AI.
I’ll show you the exact workflows I use to create 50× leverage.
And then?
I invite you to join me in this adventure.
Stop aging yourself.
Try something new this week.
Your body is listening.
Stay curious,
105 Responses
Vishen, there is always a good takeaway so thanks for sharing YOUR thoughts and experiences with us. Unfortunately I can’t attend at the time designated on January 31. Will you be recording the session so that we can access it later?
My father used to say, “Age is just a number, you are as young as you feel.”
That’s been my mantra too.
At 61, I weight train, eat healthy, enjoy my work, travel, write and do all the things I want to do.
I bungee jumped for the first time after I turned 50, because it was on my to-do list and the opportunity arose.
I do a word puzzle, a spatial puzzle and a 10-minute Spanish lesson to stay sharp and hopefully prevent/delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s, both of which run in my family. Looking forward to the session.
I appreciate the idea behind this post, but you have to be mindful of the words you use.
This “study” was an “experiment” that was never “published” in the sense of a published scientific experiment in a peer-reviewed journal. It was “published” in a book. Anyone can say anything in a book.
When the author attempted to reproduce the experiment in Italy with first author Pagnini in 2019, they have not been able to publish results yet. So, technically, this experiment was never published, nor reproduced, so it may not be reproducible suggesting the initial results may have been due to extraneous circumstances.
Again, I appreciate the sentiment, but in our days of misinformation everywhere, we need to make sure we are precise with our wording and accurate with our information.
Thanks for posting.
I find this fascinating although not surprising. As I relate it to my life I can see how I’ve done this in the past, but AI would not have been helpful in my work as it was mostly physical. Also I am one of the clumsiest people ever and there have been many accidents (broken bones, etc.) and illnesses throughout the years. I do believe those kinds of things age you, but have tried to keep a positive attitude. Self talk is very important.
I am 71. Whenever I think I cannot do something ( any more) I tell myself that if I don’t even try I have lost already.
And I am not a looser. I try every day to go to the most extent of what I am capable of.
Helps great. I am doing it since years. Talking to friends about it made them lough.
Thanks for you mentioning it above. Good to know I am not the only one thinking like this.
Thanks
Miss Uli
Love the idea that positive attitude and thoughts work to reverse aging! Must try it as I’m 70 and want to be smarter and healthier!
I’m retired so AI to give me time is not an issue.
How do you know and keep up with what is happening, decided, replied to emails, if AI is doing it for you?
Thanks
Thank you for sharing your experience. It adds another point of awareness to what I found last November, during an exercise called “Listening To Your Body Rhythm” by Jeffrey Allen.
Surprised to discover I still embodied the useless childhood reminders from well-meaning parents and teachers about posture, not fidgeting and the like. When I decided to let go of trying to control my body, I noticed I was carelessly commanding (now I see that included ageing) my body. Stopped that cold. Started listening. The response shifted from habitual master/slave to partnership. Living in the moment felt like the shift from a tense beginner driver holding the wheel with whitening knuckles to leisurely cruising along the freeway with a responsive car, guiding and keeping course with just two fingers.
After that exercise I took a brief afternoon nap and felt a new sense of refreshment. Dropped unnecessary effort such as anticipating resistance from the body (now I see that included ageing) and so causing it. Life was good, now it’s better.
“Your body is listening.” Profound. Reading those words sparked an epiphany. Exact words I was intentionally meant to read, to ponder, to apply. Thank you, Vishen, for this moment.
Vishen, seriously, I am thankful for your realization. Just yesterday I thought WHAT IF … I only listened to sounds from 1970 , then I realized I just purchased a 115 yr old house in an early settlement from 1800’s. I have studied IMMORTALITY for years , bio hacking. I even take life extension formulas and truly believe we could actually stop aging in many ways. It’s a private journey I started when I interviewed everyone I ran into with one ? . If you could stay the age you are indefinitely would you OR would you continue until you die naturally ?
9 out of 10 CHOOSE DYING ! I couldn’t believe it ! I said what’s up with that ?
Then I realized they were not afraid to DIE they were afraid to live . REALLY.
It’s pretty boring living in an 1800’s settlement …. So quiet . Time stands still and the BEST PART IS MY FUTURE SEES A Handsome FACE on a device that should not exist yet …. encouraging me to actually believe someone else might actually understand me 115 yrs from now ! For real ! Thanks I’m currently frozen @ 42 going on 61 eating the same yams and veggies from 100 yrs ago and the waters awesome !
You’re on to something very important ! Jodie
Love that about your son, curious about your daughter too …what brings Eve joy, also nice to see that your kids inspire you to be the highest version of yourself.
Respect for positive self talk.
Please consider this when promoting the use of AI.
🚫 AI workloads require far higher power density, cooling, GPU/TPU racks etc.
🚫 AI requires an unsustainable amount of minerals and resourcesnecessary to build these humongous AI data centres. People around the world don’t have enough homes to live in or enough money to buy food. However, you are proposing that promoting the use of AI (which requires building these AI data centres) is the way for humanity’s success and happiness? 🤔
🚫The non-recyclable amount of water required to cool these centres is simply lost.
🚫The amount of land required to build these data centres is massive.
🚫Whilst data chips in mobile phones may last 5 to 10 years the chips in these data centres will have a lifespanof 2 to 3 years after which time they are thrown into the environment unable to be recycled.
✅ Data searches using a browser require far less space, energy, minerals, resources, water than AI.
⚠️ In my opinion, it’s totally irresponsible to promote the use of unsustainable AI that will only hasten Climate Change impacts particularly in countries that already are experiencing drought e.g. Chile. I understand that the US, Germany, UK and China operate the major AI compute hubs.
It’s greedy, self-serving and certainly not created out of love or compassion for humanity or the future of the planet.
Is the degeneration of our planet and promoting such self-driven profit and capitalism worth it? Is this really the
direction, example and legacy you want to leave your children and their children’s children?
🚫 Moreover, the use of AI is facilitating and compounding the continual progression of the dysfunction of our society globally.
👉People are becoming more isolated and lonely, preferring to stay home with an Ibot rather than engage with humans.
👉There is a loneliness epidemic.
👉Mental illness is increasing.
👉AI will not help our society to heal and become healthy.
👉Human interaction requires face-to-face, eye to eye, heart to heart communication—e.g. not coming from some self promoting and self serving AI clones.
I look forward to your reply.
Here’s to fostering introspection and thoughts for 🌎 and healthy results for everyone.
Nancy
Your story is inspiring. You are totally correct, and I applaud you for reclaiming your healthy body. I would like to share my story too.
At 58, beginning of my Saturn return, I was hit as a pedestrian by a car, breaking my back and my knee.
The work it took to get out of the wheelchair, get off the walker, and get rid of the cane took two full years. That was a year longer than the neurosurgeon had first estimated. However, once he realized the level of physical activity and strength I was going back to, he had to revise it. My PT comforted me in my disappointment, comparing me to an elite athlete. He said most people my age were not doing the things I did, let alone starting new things.
I have never been willing to accept limits at face value, luckily. So now, at nearly 61, I can still kayak, haul firewood, move furniture (carefully), work on my house, learn bass guitar, teach adults English, learn Spanish, and exercise. I also have started work on my 2nd book.
Maybe I should make my house like 1991 again! 🙂
That was a real interesting read that you sent out today about the study on aging & self talk down to the biological and physical shifts that occurred during and throughout the story continue to put out good content family, would love to hear and see you touch up on few other topics like increasing focus and dealing with distractions/ grounding and earthing/ and more mental and physical and spiritual concepts 🧠🔑🚪
I LOVE the idea of starting something new ! Thanks Vishen for this pep talk. I’m 78 and aging has never been a problem for me. I never even thought of my age as such…until I underwent surgery for my shoulder, and then… my family started to talk to me as though I were 178 years old !
I’m going to start working on cloning myself to answer the phone (I’m phone-phobic ! Yeah, I know…) and, why not, answer mails and do all the not so attractive tasks to gain time to go walking my dog, inviting friends and family around and above all, to travel and go trekking on the Chemin de Compostelle from the French Alps down to Spain. Maybe my clone will keep me company…and speak Spanish for me (alas I never learnt Spanish…!). I may have small ($$) means, but my brain knows few limits and my body follows the swing. I can feel all the ideas bubbling up already… !
I may even invite you to dance with me (or my clone ;-)), despite the fact I don’t know how to….
wow Vishen you just keep learning, morphing ,and inspiring! Thank you!!!
I am often frustrated with folks who try to draw me into negative aging tropes and I’m like naw you’re not getting old you’re just sitting on the couch too long, meet me at the playground!!! lets goooooo
Hi Vishen. Congratulations on this realisation at age 50. I am 68 going on 69 and am so aware of this. I look forward to being fit and able into my 90s as my mother before me. New challenges and new contacts are essential for the ongoing joy of life. In love and hope.
Thank you for sharing this article. I always watch my self talk but this is absolutely mind blowing for me as a 43yo!
I agree Vishen what we tell ourselves becomes our reality. Dr Bruce Lipton describes the subconscious as an enacter. it doesn’t filter just accepts what we tell it and then behaves accordingly. With all the negative self talk most of us do routinely, it catapults us into beliefs like old age and ditherdom quite effectively.
Sounds incredible!
I am 73 years old, a mother of five and a Nanna of six. I totally agree how you see yourself and talk to yourself in your body makes a big difference. I meditate, read walk and do pt exercises. I pray, I’m painting again. I am an artist, a seamstress and many things throughout my years and I do not have to give up one thing. I faced death with Covid pneumonia in 2021. I was in the hospital for two months literally had to fight for my life. I have beat it and autoimmune disease a few years ago. So I am thankful every day I get to wake up and breathe in. My heart is working to keep my body going. I was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm. But holy trust the universe to heal me and give me strength to keep going for a few more years. I do believe the key to each day to wake up and say thank you.. meditate before I do anything. I also read every morning something inspiring. I am fortunate to be retired and can do these things now which was hard when I was raising five children. The universe provided a safe home for me to live in with an extra room for my art and my crafts. I am not far from the ocean, so I get to see the beach when I take a short ride. I have lived in some bad situations throughout my life where people were mean or controlling. I don’t have that anymore. I am thankful I may be 73 but I feel like I’m 50 lol Namaste.