10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A Tr

By Dan Harris and Dan Harris

Book Overview

In celebration of its fifth anniversary, a revised and updated edition of the award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller that changed the way we look at meditation, with a new preface by Dan Harris and new guided meditations.

After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, Dan Harris knew he had to make some changes. A lifelong nonbeliever, he found himself on a bizarre adventure involving a disgraced pastor, a mysterious self-help guru, and a gaggle of brain scientists. Eventually, Harris realized that the source of his problems was the very thing he always thought was his greatest asset: the incessant, insatiable voice in his head, which had propelled him through the ranks of a hypercompetitive business but, he now recognized, had also led him to make the profoundly stupid decisions that provoked his on-air freak-out.

We all have a voice in our head. It's what has us losing our temper unnecessarily, checking our email compulsively, eating when we're not hungry, and fixating on the past and the future at the expense of the present. Most of us assume we're stuck with this voice--that there's nothing we can do to rein it in--but Harris stumbled upon an effective way to do just that. It's a far cry from the miracle cures peddled by the self-help swamis he met; instead, it's something he always assumed to be either impossible or useless: meditation. After learning about research that suggests meditation essentially rewires your brain, Harris took a deep dive into the underreported world of CEOs, scientists, and even marines who are now using it for increased calm, focus, and happiness.

10% Happier takes readers on a ride from the outer reaches of neuroscience to the inner sanctum of network news to the bizarre fringes of America's spiritual scene, and leaves them with a takeaway that could actually change their lives.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062917609
• ISBN13: 9780062917607
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Dey Street Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.69 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

More stories than solutions

This book was well written. It is more of a recount of Dan Harris' experiences and work references. It was easy to read, as he is a good writer, but there were not a lot of useful "tools" on how to become happier. Meditation and Mark Epstein being a key person of influence for Dan Harris is the key take away. From that perspective, it showed good references for that tool. Other than that, I found myself having to skim through a lot of the book because I really didn't care about the "who Dan Harris knew" and "what job Dan Harris did."

An ABC News Journalist Turns the Tables on Himself

An expose on bogus self help and an eye-opener on the real thing. Dan Harris takes you on his path and you come out the other end with clearer thinking and more realistic expections, especially of yourself. Honest, candid, well-researched, clearly stated. Excellent writing, modest advice, a heartfelt challenge to the human spirit. Intellect and skepticism meet reality and transformation. 10% improvement in personal joy is actually a lot - in fact, you'll find it's more than plenty.