Possibility 可能性

In 1979, eight male volunteers in their eighties packed suitcases, got on a bus and traveled back to 1959 — at least psychologically. Transported to a retreat in new Hampshire USA, they lived in accommodation that had been designed to replicate living conditions in 1959 to the smallest detail.

在1979年，八個80歲的男性受試者打包他們的行李，上了公共汽車，並回到1959年 - 至少在心理上。他們被送到美國的新罕布什爾州的一個休養所，住在宿舍裡頭並複製1959年同樣的生活條件。

They were told not to just reminisce about the time but to actually imagine that they were back in 1959. When they spoke of all the props in the house —such as the books, TV shows etc —they used the present tense.  They spent a total of 5 days reliving 1959.

他們被告知不要只是回憶過去，要想像他們確實回到了1959年。當他們談到房子裡的所有的東西 - 如書，電視節目等 - 他們使用現在式，想像他們回到年輕20歲的1959年重新生活了5天。

Prior to going to the retreat, the volunteers physical condition was accessed on things like memory, cognition, vision, hearing, flexibility and dexterity. After the retreat, there were some pretty amazing changes in their physical condition: improved vision, improved hearing, greater flexibility, improved memory, improved posture.

在前往休養所進行這項試驗之前，所有受試者的身體狀況像是記憶、認知、視力、聽力、彈性和靈敏度等方面都接受測試。在實驗過後，一些受試者的身體狀況產生非常驚人的變化，例如視力、聽力、記憶力及姿勢都改善了而且身體更靈活更有彈性。

This experiment was  replicated by the BBC in 2010 (under the guidance of the original researcher) with a similar impressive outcome.

Harvard professor Ellen Langer was the force behind the experiment. She has been studying the psychology of possibility for over 3 decades. Her research gets us to challenge things that we have accepted as truth. She posits that we mindlessly react to social and cultural cues, and by opening our minds to what's possible, instead of presuming impossibility, we can experience better health at any age.

該實驗在201​​0年在原研究者的指導下被BBC複製，同樣有令人印象深刻的結果。

哈佛大學教授艾倫蘭格是推動這項實驗背後的力量。她一直在研究可能性的心理學超過30年。她的研究讓我們挑戰我們接受視為真理的事情。她假設我們無意識地對社會和文化線索做出反應，並且透過打開我們的思想到甚麼都是可能的，而不是假定不可能，我們可以在任何年齡生活的更健康。

Another of Professor Langer's experiments that showed the effect of the mind on the body was carried out on chambermaids. She asked a group of chambermaids about their exercise habits. The response she got was that they considered they did not exercise.

蘭格教授的另一個實驗顯示，心態的改變對身體的影響是在房務人員身上進行的。她問一群女房務人員關於她們的運動習慣。她得到的回應是她們認為她們都沒有在做運動。

The chambermaids were then divided into 2 groups. At the start of the experiment, they went through different medical tests to measure different aspects of their health. One of the groups was taught to shift their mindset about their work and to view it as exercise.

把這些女房務人員分成兩組。在實驗開始時，她們通過不同的醫學測試來測量她們各個方面的健康。其中一個小組被教導將他們的思維轉向他們的工作，並將其視為運動。

At the end of the experiment, the chambermaids who were taught to view their work as exercise experienced impressive improvements in their health. They lost weight, had a decrease in body mass index, decrease in hip to waist ratio and decrease in blood pressure.

在實驗結束時，被教導將她們的工作看作是在做運動的女房務人員在她們的健康方面有顯著的改善。她們的體重減輕，身體質量指數減少，腰臀比降低，血壓下降。

For more details on these experiments and professors Langer's research you can read her book Counter Clockwise.

關於這些實驗和藍格教授所做研究的更多細節，可以讀她的逆時針一書。