Interview
How do you feel if you could rewind the clock some years ago? Well, yesterday I interviewed Mr.Branagh, a psychologist in Harvard and learned his provocative experiment in which people feel as if their body clock has turned back to their young age because of the special surroundings Branagh offered.I recorded all the details about the interview.(J=Journalist, B= Branagh) J: Mr.Branagh, how do you do this experiment?
B: Well, the experiment took place in an isolated old England hotel, which had been retrofitted to like what it was like 20 years ago.Then, a group of men----in their 70s----were told not to reminisce about the past, but to actually act as if they had traveled back to 20 years before.Also, we have a control group for comparison.J: That’s interesting! What’s the purpose of this experiment? B: Uh, I want to see if changing the men’s mindset about their own age could lead to actual changes in health and fitne.J: So, what did you find in the experiment? B: Oh, the findings were stunning.Two weeks later, the men in the experimental group had more joint flexibility, increased dexterity and le arthritis in their legs comparing to the control group.What’s more, their mental sensibility had risen measurably, and they had improved posture.I n other words, the aging proce had been reversed in some degree.When I showed the outsiders the men’s pictures, they judged them to be obviously younger than the controls.The result is so exciting.
J: Wow, this reminds me of what I saw in a book about psychology.It says that we are all victims of our own stereotypes about aging and health.We mindlely accept negative cues about disease and old age, and these cues shape our self-concepts and our behavior.Do you think so? B: Yes, although we are sure to encounter illne, bad moods or a stiff back, we can try to embrace uncertainty and understand that the way we feel today may or may not connect to the way we will feel tomorrow.J: I think what you said just now would inspire a lot of people, Thank you so much.B: You are welcome.
