10% Happier

How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help That Actually Works

By: Dan Harris

Narrated by: Dan Harris

Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

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 listeners 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2014 Daniel Benjamin Harris (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers

I loved this book!

What did you like best about this story?

This is a true story of a TV personality who took up meditating, and why. I have been an off-and-on meditator for years and I really liked hearing another person's struggles with it.

meditation and mindfulness one man's journey

It was challenging to get through the first 30 pages or so and as Dan got to the meditation and mindfulness part I'm glad I did. As an experienced meditator of 20-plus years, I found Dan described these concepts and practices in a way that is very understandable and relatable. I don't even try to explain them because they are so foreign to the Western mind including my own when I first began practicing. The first 30 pages or so when I was wondering if I was reading the right book later proved to be important context to Dan's Journey in this practice. Thanks Dan for writing the book! The more people who can embrace these practices the better.

A teaser on how to:. I will be looking deeper

This is basically a discussion on how meditation affected the author. Enough that will cause me to looker deeper into the topic.

A formidable beginning.

Dan's easy writing style makes listening pleasurable and informative. It's extremely honest, open and not the least presumptuous. I came away knowing his journey is not quite over, while any of his readers will be afforded a fresh point of view about enlightenment. For those new to spirituality this book is a great opening and inspiration towards a journey inward.

lies lies lies....

finally a book on meditation that I felt would ask the questions that I would ask and approach it with skepticism that I would have
...... a very easy read to the point book.... although he did lie about one thing I'm 20% happier now not 10%

Good story

Where does 10% Happier rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It's a good listen, but not great. Dan Harris' story is interesting, but not totally relate able in a lot of ways. It isn't the route that most folks who suffer from anxiety go. The everyday stuff is helpful to a point, but I am not going to head off on week long meditation trips and eat rice. So, good story but won't jive completely with the average sufferer.

What did you like best about this story?

I like the way Dan Harris calls out Deepak Chopra for being a fame hound. He tells it like it is.

What does Dan Harris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Dan's reading is like that of a newscaster. I don't think I got anymore out of the book listening to it that I would have got from reading.

Dan?

This doesn't actually sound like Dan when you compare to youtube for example. Audible is somehow compressing his voice to make it harder and less easy to listen to. The content was quite genuine.

Lovely story about Dan's journey

Well narrated (it's dan!)
Amazing story (never knew he went through so much)
An awesome reminder that mindfulness can be achieved by anyone even if they think theyre not cut out for it!
Give this one a listen, its worth it

10% better off for listening

Well told story kept my interest and aroused my curiosity in meditation. I can sympathize with the author, being a bit of a skeptic myself and appreciate the fact that he shared his journey and struggles with the listener using humor. I'm anxious to listen to another book by Harris.

No nonsense meditation evaluation.

Masterfully constructed real-life story about the mindful evolution of a meditation skeptic. Humorous, insightful, entertaining, and "enlightening". Thank you Dan Harris for sharing with all of us.