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
Always so inspiring is Vishen, NLP is always good to practice until you hit a culture that has no such knowledge. So hard to wade through but then an email like yours just pop up and we know that it is fine to think like that. There is no harm. Thank you for the motivation.
You answer my questions in my head. Thank you
Wonderful article! Thank you on behalf of all followers. You drew a smile on my face… I completely agree with you! I stumbled on that research about 30+ years ago and followed a similar idea: I decided not to get old, ever – and chose to feel happy no matter what happens in my life… 72 now, I am more flexible and energetic than ever, much healthier than when I was young, still happily teaching Math and other sciences at university… Thank you for reminding me how precious every new day is, how infinite possibilities are still open for us!
I really needed to read this!
I remember that study from 1979 but hadn’t thought about it in years. Thanks for reminding me!
I turned 69 last month and realize that I’ve been talking myself into “old age” even though people usually guess my age to be about 20 years younger. Shame on me!
I’m teaching music 3 days a week (K-5) because I really enjoy engaging with the students and getting them excited about music. But I have been responding to some of their questions with, “Because I’m old!” How terrible to teach them that!!! No longer.
I also have a copywriting business and think I don’t have time for other things. Then I read about all you do and realize I’m just making excuses.
You are an inspiration. Thanks, Vishen.
Quit spamming me. I don’t want your crap emails. I never asked to receive it. I have unsubscribed a dozen times and you keep spamming.
I didnt know about this program…but at 50, when I heard my older sister say, “now that I am older, I dont do .. XX…anymore”…I decided to add something on every birthday, not take it away.
It must be working. I am active and busy ALL the time…at 83…off to China to work at my foundry, creating a film (of my unusual life story) …hanging out with 50 year olds most of the time…on to my 4th language… and am beyond humble to often hear from the younger ones: “You are my model, I want to be like you at 80…my parents are so much older in ‘age’ and yet, younger than you in years…” In a word…I am too engaged with living to get older..”
age 50. come on. try 80’s and see how you feel
Just seeing the title, and reading the first line intrigued me to read the whole article.
I’m 62 and Keep comparing myself to others. Commenting to people, “oh you won’t remember this, it was before your time” I laugh, and now I just realized I do this sort of thing ALL THE TIME! What am I thinking, I’m in shape, I eat well, and most people cannot tell that I am as old as I am. Seriously, they guess 10-15 Years younger. WHAT??
My brain I keep using, I am up to date on new tech and software.. love to learn!
I use AI already for alot of writing, and creating new lessons.. but never thought to use as an assistant for me.
Can’t wait for your seminar!
Hello
I absolutely love this post! My parents enrolled me in Jose Silva’s course in the 70’s and it really stuck with me. I actually use it all the time. This post struck me because I have experienced something similar to what Vishen describes. All of my friends in my 55+ community tell me how much younger my husband and I look than they do and I think it is exactly what Vishen is saying. I have never given up on my dreams to start a new business and try to work at this daily. I am in the process of writing a book, reinventing my business of 18 years to do it the way we now want to experience it and am launching a business about being grateful. But the reason I was struck especially today is that my husband had a stem cell treatment in his back yesterday and this post made me think about the fact that this was so deeply about thinking about ourselves as still in the game – not ageing out of it. Wow! It isn’t just about ‘not being in pain’. It is the opposite of giving up and accepting debilitating back pain but going all in, despite the fact that this is not covered by insurance but the most important investment we could make in our lives…our health…wanting to do the things we love to do and just not giving up or giving in! I believe that the Universe brought us serendipitously to a talented and enlightened surgeon – Dr. Deepesh Shah (Peoria, AZ) who lights up just to talk about this cutting -edge treatment. His enthusiasm is pure and we are deeply hopeful and excited about the future. Thank you Vishen for your inspiration today, as it always is! Andrea and Andre
That is really inspiring Vishen! Always try to grow and change. I feel that you are more enjoyable, at least that is how you look on stage. I also want to try the 50 lives. I read also that changing your city can be more beneficial than therapy in breaking bad habits. What do you think about that?
Fantastic Vishen,
You are a true inspiration.
My thought is that you have done so much to transform your own outcomes and the millions who follow you.
Now what about the planet. We humans are well on the way to causing the 6th extinction event. What we desperately need to do is work on dreaming the future into existence otherwise we’re all fucked.
Isn’t it amazing what the body can do when we stop telling it what it can’t do? At 55, I’m learning Greek because I want to be able to communicate with the locals when I fly to Greece next year to take a transatlantic cryise back to the US.
Love the insight you provided on your body listening!! I have decided to notice my thoughts and conversations and live differently as a result! Thank You!
This is so interesting, because it resonates as truth. What Sonia Choquette calls “barking dogs” are the nay-sayers, the loud voices in our heads that say, “You can’t. You’re too old.” I’m 58, but in the things I expect I can still do, I can. The things I say I’m too old for, I am. When I tell myself it’s too overwhelming to raise 3 grandchildren ages 6, 7, 8, it is. When I say, “This is fun. We’re going to have a good day,” we do.
Thank you so much for the clarity and reminder on this. God bless.
I completely agree with Vishen. I just turned 60 but don’t “feel 60” whereas friends say they are getting old. But the truth is I talk to myself too as though I am declining. I need to stop that and know there is a big world out there waiting for me!
I know Ellen Langer’s study. But I haven’t done anything about it. Your sentence “And I’m finally making time for my body” woke me up! I’m 65. But with my joint problems everywhere, I don’t want to live to be 95. But I could, with a strong mind and a strong body!
Please explore Jason van Blerk’s work on Fascia release.
Happy birthday, beautiful ❣️🤍🕊
You really have to love the humor of a “mid-life crisis”.
Thank you for sharing the study and your own change of lifestyle and the self talk you do with your self.
Thank you Vishen, for a very thought provoking post. I have been quietly aware lately that my thoughts might be causing my body to slow down. I would like to read Langer’s original article.