Dan Harris
Hardcover | Pages: 256 pages Rating: 3.93 | 74159 Users | 5780 Reviews
Define Containing Books 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works
| Title | : | 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works |
| Author | : | Dan Harris |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 256 pages |
| Published | : | March 11th 2014 by It Books |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Self Help. Psychology. Autobiography. Memoir. Audiobook. Personal Development. Health |
Description Supposing Books 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works
Nightline anchor Dan Harris embarks on an unexpected, hilarious, and deeply skeptical odyssey through the strange worlds of spirituality and self-help, and discovers a way to get happier that is truly achievable.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 both propelled him through the ranks of a hyper-competitive business and 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 would 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 can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire 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.
Mention Books In Pursuance Of 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works
| Original Title: | 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works |
| ISBN: | 0062265423 (ISBN13: 9780062265425) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2014) |
Rating Containing Books 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works
Ratings: 3.93 From 74159 Users | 5780 ReviewsNotice Containing Books 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works
When a book means a lot to me, I have a more difficult time reviewing it. I finished this memoir a week ago and have been pondering it ever since.Dan Harris is a reporter and anchorman at ABC News. Back in 2004, he had a panic attack on air while trying to read the morning headlines. He admitted to a therapist he was very stressed about his career, and that he had previously used recreational drugs. Harris decided he wanted to find some peace of mind, and being a reporter, he researchedA heartbreaking work of staggering genius.
I was prompted to read this book by Michael Pollan's descriptions of meditation in his book, How to Change Your Mind; in Pollan's book, mindfulness was a somewhat peripheral subject, but it was interesting to me to learn that brain scans of seasoned meditators revealed the same kinds of changes as those found in people on psychedelic drugs like psilocybin. So I did a search for "most accessible book about meditation" (because trust me, a lot of them are nearly impenetrable), and I found 10%
This book was far, far better than I expected. Actually, Im not sure what I expected: the title, 10% Happier, suggested to me something akin to Gretchen Rubins somewhat inane Happiness Project, which I didnt care for. Turns out, the original title for 10% Happier was The Voice in My Head is an Asshole, which is both far more amusing and a better description of the actual content of the book. Still, though, it doesnt convey the fact that the book is really a memoir of Dan Harris's life in
A news anchor memoir spliced with banal ruminations about discovering meditation and the author's experiences with the self help industry. His insights are trite, boring and at times obnoxious. He marketed the book around a standard life trope, which was an unexpected meltdown (this time on live television) which resulted in self seeking discovery. This isn't how the book is structured at all and his "meltdown" seems to have had no clear effects on him at all, especially since his "discovery"
A Meditation Book Designed For A True Skeptic. This is the first book that I've read on meditation that approached meditation through a severely skeptical eye. Dan Harris has asked all the questions you would have thought to ask and gets all the answers for you. This is also the first book that I've read on meditation that was approached from a journalists point of view. Using Dan's connections he has managed to interview and talk to most of the meditation community you wish you could talk to.
As an avowed atheist and skeptic, Ive always considered meditation to be in the same supernatural ballpark as god, psychics, crystals and divining rods. But then I recalled that one of my heroes, neuroscientist and atheist, Sam Harris (who, much to my pleasure, makes a cameo in this book), is a practitioner of mediation. So I decided to give this book by Dan Harris (no relation) a listen. And I am very happy I did!Harris takes us on a journey of self-discovery into the world of broadcast news,
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