Description:

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.

Review

10% Happier is a spiritual adventure from a master storyteller. Mindfulness can make you happier. Read this to find out how.

-- "George Stephanopoulos"

10% Happier is hands down the best book on meditation for the uninitiated, the skeptical, or the merely curious...an insightful, engaging, and hilarious tour of the mind's darker corners and what we can do to find a bit of peace.

-- "Daniel Goleman, New York Times bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence"

A compellingly honest, delightfully interesting, and at times heartwarming story of one highly intelligent man's life-changing journey toward a deeper understanding of what makes us our very best selves. As Dan's meditation practice deepens, I look forward to him being at least 11% happier, or more.

-- "Chade-Meng Tan, New York Times bestselling author of Search Inside Yourself"

An enormously smart, clear-eyed, brave-hearted, and quite personal look at the benefits of meditation that offers new insights as to how this ancient practice can help modern lives while avoiding the pitfall of cliche. This is a book that will help people, simply put.

-- "Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times bestselling author of Eat, Pray, Love"

How meditation relieved an award-winning journalist's stress and depression...Harris never loses his sense of humor as he affably spotlights one man's quest for internal serenity while concurrently navigating the slings and arrows of a hard-won career in the contemporary media spotlight. Friendly, practical advocacy for the power of mindfulness and enlightenment.

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

In 10% Happier , Dan Harris describes in fascinating detail the stresses of working as a news correspondent and the relief he has found through the practice of meditation. This is an extremely brave, funny, and insightful book. Every ambitious person should read it.

-- "Sam Harris, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Faith"

Startling, provocative, and often very funny...[ 10% Happier ] will convince even the most skeptical reader of meditation's potential.

-- "Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project"

The science supporting the health benefits of meditation continues to grow, as does the number of Americans who count themselves as practitioners, but it took reading 10% Happier to make me actually want to give it a try.

-- "Richard E. Besser, MD, chief health and medical editor, ABC News"

This brilliant, humble, funny story shows how one man found a way to navigate the nonstop stresses and demands of modern life and back to humanity by finally learning to sit around doing nothing.

-- "Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man" --This text refers to the audioCD edition.

About the Author

Dan Harris is a correspondent for ABC News and the coanchor for the weekend edition of Good Morning America. Before that, he was the anchor of the Sunday edition of World News. He regularly contributes stories for such shows as Nightline , 20/20 , World News with Diane Sawyer , and GMA. Harris has reported from all over the planet, covering wars in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, and Iraq and producing investigative reports in Haiti, Cambodia, and the Congo. He has also spent many years covering America's faith scene, with a focus on evangelicals-who have treated him kindly despite the fact that he is openly agnostic. Before joining ABC News he was in local news in Boston and Maine. He grew up outside of Boston and currently lives with his wife, Bianca, in New York City.

--This text refers to the audioCD edition.

From the Back Cover

Winner of the 2014 Living Now Book Award for Inspirational Memoir

After having a nationally televised panic attack, 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 had also led him to make the profoundly stupid decisions that provoked his on-air freak-out.

Eventually Harris stumbled upon an effective way to rein in that voice, something he always assumed to be either impossible or useless: meditation, a tool that research suggests can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain. 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.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“With startling, provocative, and often very funny candor, Dan Harris tells the story of why he urgently needed to tame the strident voice in his head, and how he did it. His argument for the power of mindfulness—which he bases both on cutting-edge science and his own hard-won experience—will convince even the most skeptical reader of meditation’s potential.” — Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

“ 10% Happier is useful, helpful, and hilarious. And if you are skeptical about meditating at all, know that Dan Harris was the biggest skeptic of all.” — Hugh Jackman

“An enormously smart, clear-eyed, brave-hearted, and quite personal look at the benefits of meditation that offers new insights as to how this ancient practice can help modern lives while avoiding the pitfall of cliché. This is a book that will help people, simply put. I know a lot of very powerful, very stressed-out, type-A personalities who will be getting this book from me as a gift this year.” — Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

“ 10% Happier is a spiritual adventure from a master storyteller. Mindfulness can make you happier. Read this to find out how.” — George Stephanopoulos

“Harris’s journey of discovery brought back lessons for all of us about our lives, too.” — Diane Sawyer

This brilliant, humble, funny story shows how one man found a way to navigate the non-stop stresses and demands of modern life and back to humanity by finally learning to sit around doing nothing. — Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man

“In 10% Happier , Dan Harris describes in fascinating detail the stresses of working as a news correspondent and the relief he has found through the practice of meditation. This is an extremely brave, funny, and insightful book. Every ambitious person should read it.” — Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith

A compellingly honest, delightfully interesting, and at times heart-warming story of one highly intelligent man’s life-changing journey towards a deeper understanding of what makes us our very best selves. As Dan’s meditation practice deepens, I look forward to him being at least 11% happier, or more. — Chade-Meng Tan, author of Search Inside Yourself

Part-science, part-memoir, and part self-help, Harris outlines specific ways he learned to, well, chill the f#%k out. — GQ

“A self-help guide even skeptics will embrace . . . Harris crushes stereotypes about meditation and recounts how it slashed his stress and quieted his anxious mind.” — Parade

Revealing . . . I’d recommend this to anyone. — USA Today, Pop Candy

Harris never loses his sense of humor as he affably spotlights one man’s quest for internal serenity while concurrently navigating the slings and arrows of a hard-won career in the contemporary media spotlight. Friendly, practical advocacy for the power of mindfulness and enlightenment. — Kirkus Reviews

“Lively . . . part reporting, part personal experience . . . By letting us hear the voice in his head - before and after he starts meditating—Harris makes a convincing case that if he can do it, we can, too.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch

Nightline co-anchor Dan Harris is an unlikely ambassador for mindfulness, but his new book . . . might be just the thing that gets people to unplug and recognize that all this multitasking is making us miserable and unhealthy. — xoJane

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

After having a nationally televised panic attack, 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 had also led him to make the profoundly stupid decisions that provoked his on-air freak-out.

Eventually Harris stumbled upon an effective way to rein in that voice, something he always assumed to be either impossible or useless: meditation, a tool that research suggests can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain. 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.

This fifth anniversary edition features a new preface by Harris and new guided meditations from his favorite teachers, including Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg.--George Stephanopoulos --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From Booklist

Harris had the ambition and drive to rise to ABC News television anchor. He’d felt the “journalistic heroin” of reporting from war zones, anchored national broadcasts, and even recovered from cocaine addiction. But he also had a voice in his head, the same voice most of us wrestle with, constantly second-guessing him. If he could only quiet that voice, he’d be happier and less stressed. Harris was already covering the religion beat when he veered off on a personal journey to find answers beyond the self-help gurus. Along the way, he talked to Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, a host of Jewish Buddhists, and even the Dalai Lama before reluctantly trying meditation. Approaching it with all the skepticism of a reporter, Harris checked out the neurological research and learned that meditation was being used in the corporate and military arenas to heighten focus and clarity. After going on a meditation retreat, he ultimately found the balance he sought between ambition and inner peace. In this brave, completely engaging, and often hilarious book, Harris achieves his aim of demystifying meditation. --Vanessa Bush --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Amazon.com Review

Dan Harris Gretchen Rubin

Gretchin Rubin interviews Dan Harris about 10% Happier

I met Dan Harris when a mutual friend suggested that we’d enjoy talking about habits, happiness, and meditation. We had a great discussion, and in fact, Dan was one of several people who inspired me to try meditating. 10% Happier is his hilarious, thought-provoking book about his experiences with meditation. I knew Dan had done a lot of thinking about the relationship of habits and happiness, and how to use habits to foster happiness, so I was eager to hear what he had to say.

Gretchen: What’s a simple habit that consistently makes you happier?

Dan: I never in a million years thought I’d be the type of person who’d say this, but my answer is … meditation.I had always assumed that meditation was for robed gurus, acid-droppers, and people who keep yurts in their backyard. But then I heard about the explosion of scientific research that shows the practice has an almost laughably long list of health benefits, from lowering your blood pressure to boosting your immune system to essentially rewiring your brain for happiness. I started with five minutes a day, and very quickly noticed three benefits: 1. Increased focus, 2. A greater sense of calm, and 3. A vastly improved ability to jolt myself out of rumination and fantasies about the past or the future, and back to whatever was happening right in front of my face.Over time (I’ve now been at it for about four years and do 35 minutes a day), an even more substantial benefit kicked in: I created a different relationship to the voice in my head. You know the voice I’m talking about. It’s what has us reaching into the fridge when we’re not hungry, checking our e-mail while we’re in conversation with other people, and losing our temper only to regret it later. The ability to see what’s going on in your head at any given moment without reacting to it blindly—often called “mindfulness”—is a superpower.I’m certainly not arguing that meditation is a panacea. I still do tons of stupid stuff – as my wife will attest. But the practice has definitely made me happier, calmer, and nicer.

Gretchen: What’s something you know now about forming healthy habits that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old?

Dan: A neuroscientist friend of mine once told me, “The brain is a pleasure-seeking machine. ” Usually, we do what makes us feel good. What I know now about habit formation that I didn’t know then is that I generally cannot create or break habits unless there is compelling self-interest involved.So, for example, with meditation, I was motivated to start the habit by the science that says it’s good for you—and I’ve been able to maintain it because, while the act of meditating is often quite tough, the “off-the-cushion” benefits are so readily apparent to me.

Gretchen: Do you have any habits that continually get in the way of your happiness?

Dan: Two biggies:1. Multitasking: I’ve seen all the studies that say our brains are not capable of concentrating on more than one thing at a time and that multitasking is a huge drag on efficiency and productivity. And yet, I still frequently find myself flitting between email, Twitter, phone calls, and whatever work I’m actually supposed to be doing.2. Mindless eating: I try very hard to eat healthfully, but I am a huge sucker for pasta, cheeseburgers, and cookies—and when I get into a feeding frenzy, it’s hard for me to stop. These episodes are almost always followed by a shame spiral.In theory, meditation should help with the above, since it teaches you to pay careful attention to whatever you’re doing right now. Alas, I still struggle. Hence the title of my book.

Gretchen: Have you ever managed to break an unhealthy habit? If so, how?

Dan: In my early thirties, as a young reporter for ABC News, I spent many years covering wars. When I got back from one particularly long and hairy run in Baghdad, I became depressed. In an act of towering stupidity, I began to self-medicate, dabbling with cocaine and ecstasy. In hindsight, it was an attempt, at least partly, to recreate some of the thrill of the war zone.A side-effect of all of this, as my doctor later explained to me, was that the drugs increased the level of adrenaline in my brain, which is what, in all likelihood, produced a panic attack I had on live television in 2004 on Good Morning America. The shrink I consulted about this decreed in no uncertain terms that I needed to stop doing drugs—immediately. Faced with the potential demise of my career, breaking this habit was a pretty obvious call.

Gretchen: Have you ever made a flash change, where you changed a major habit very suddenly?

Dan: In the summer after I graduated from high school, I did experience a “flash change. ” I was in my car, driving to go see some friends, and I decided—seemingly out of nowhere—that after years of being a mediocre high school student, I was going to truly apply myself in the next phase of my life. The next year, when my father saw my first college report card, he nearly cried.Interestingly, the fact that I did well in college has had zero practical impact on my career in television news. I don’t think any of my employers has ever asked about my grades. But that flash change established a long-lasting habit of hard work and ambition. Which, it must be said, has sometimes been to my detriment. It was, I now believe, my fervent desire to excel at my job that led me to plunge headlong into war zones without considering the psychological consequences—which, in turn, led to the drugs and the panic attack. I’ve found that meditation has really helped me strike a better balance between striving and stress.

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.