10% Happier
by Dan Harris
A news anchor's on-air panic attack leads him, skeptically, to meditation. Harris documents the journey with humor and a reporter's doubt, and the result is the most persuasive book on mindfulness for people who roll their eyes at it. The practical content is light; the permission to try is the point.
Read it if…
you are a skeptic who suspects meditation might help and want a fellow skeptic's account.
Skip it if…
you already meditate; the book is for the pre-converted.
Three things you will actually use
- Start tiny; five minutes counts.
- Expect to fail at focus; noticing is the practice.
- Keep your edge; mindfulness is not passivity.
Do this first
Sit for five minutes today and count breaths; when you lose count, start over without comment.
Our verdict
Funny, honest and effective at getting skeptics to sit down.
Compare with other Health books
Buddha’s Brain
Rick Hanson · Health
Substantive and warm; neuroscience in service of practice.
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The Brain's Way of Healing
Norman Doidge · Health
Hopeful and uneven; read with a clinician.
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