For over 40 years, Dr. Ellen Langer has studied Mindlessness/ Mindfulness in everyday situations where mindlessness is pervasive and very costly. Mindfulness (without meditation), on the other hand, has been shown to be literally and figuratively enlivening, and results in health, well-being, improved relationships, and Dr. Ellen Langer has been studying the mindlessness of ostensibly thoughtful action for over forty years, from everyday situations, to nursing homes, schools, and business, and has found that mindlessness is both pervasive and unnoticed. She has also proposed and tested an alternative cognitive process that she has shown to be relevant across multiple domains. She has termed this process "mindfulness," but it should not be confused with meditation.