Name: Abel de Wit's review of 10% Happier by Dan Harris
Item: 10% Happier
Rating: 4
Author: Abel de Wit

Dan Harris

Winner of the 2014 Living Now Book Award for Inspirational Memoir 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.

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

10% Happier

After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, 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.

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

Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin

He added that there's something more "authentic" about people like Tolle, who have accounts of breakthroughs that come out of the blue without any formal training — "because they're not getting it from anywhere else." This was a bitter pill to swallow. Mockery of Tolle had been my one true north on this journey. Now, as the Buddhists say, maybe I had to let it go.

… When I first read A New Earth, I had rolled my eyes when Tolle rather immodestly promised that his book would “initiate the awakening process” in the reader. Now I had to admit that, in my case, the weird little German man was, in a sense, right.

Really liked this quote from the Buddha about anger. This chapter has been my favorite by far! Lots of good stuff in here that I both resonate with and want to practice more.

The Buddha captured it well when he said that anger, which can be so seductive at first, has "a honeyed tip" but a "poisoned root.”

's not that I never got annoyed anymore. In fact, when you're mindful, you actually feel irritation more keenly. However, once you unburden yourself from the delusion that people are deliberately trying to screw you, it’s easier to stop getting carried away … If you spend a half hour on the cushion every day contending with your own ego, it’s hard not to be more tolerant of others.

Eroding the edges of ego, I like that. I was surprised that this chapter (titled “The Self-Interested Case for Not Being a Dick”) literally featured an interview with the Dalai Lama! A quick but compelling scene.

A light went off in my head. "It seems like you're saying that there is a self-interested, or selfish, case for being compassionate?"

“Yes. Practice of compassion is ultimately beneft to you. So I usually describe: we are selish, but be wise selfsh rather than foolish selfish."

This was an entirely new spin for me. Don't be nice for the sake of it, he was saying. Do it because it would redound to your own benefit, that it would make you feel good by eroding the edges of ego.

I like the idea of meditation as a tool that allows you to step back and acknowledge a situation, and through that process “it takes some of the fangs out of it.” It doesn’t make it go away, but maybe it helps it go away a little quicker.

… The point of getting behind the waterfall wasn't to magically solve all of your problems, only to handle them better, by creating space between stimulus and response. It was about mitigation, not alleviation.

Abel de Wit

The book talks about the journey of the author, and how he got from very sceptic to a devoted meditator.

Brooke Lonegan

Great intro to the concept of mindfulness- will leave you wanting to learn more about the subject and give it a shot yourself.

*An engaging memoir about self-help somewhat lacking in substance*

My archeological adventures through my backlist TBR continue. This has admittedly led to some moments of befuddlement as I try to remember when and why I added some books. When I originally added 

 to my TBR, I think I missed that it was by a major news anchor - basically a celebrity. I don't like celebrities. So I did not relate to the parts about him climbing the ladder (which seemed to be a lot more about popularity and politics than talent or ethics). The mercenary look at behind the news scene was off-putting though not surprising. Unfortunately, I just kept picturing the movie Anchorman and couldn't take it seriously.

I didn't realize that this was really just a memoir. I thought there would be more research and something new or some unique spin. While Harris was entertaining most of the time, I didn’t actually like him. I did not relate to his narcissistic focus on his looks or his career and definitely not to his cocaine-induced panic attack – though I appreciated his candor about confronting his mistakes.

Harris provided a snarky, no-nonsense approach to meditation and other alternative stress management. I can see why this book appeals to people even if it didn’t wow me.

The 10% in title is, by the author's own admission, a totally made up statistic. It was an off the cuff response when someone asked him what the point of meditation was. On the one hand, it probably does attract people more to offer a slight-but-attainable improvement as opposed to the magical bliss of nirvana. On the other hand, my data analyst brain cannot handle any made up statistics.

The writing wasn't consistent either. It randomly switched to present tense for one section. I don't know if that was an intentional attempt to mimic the moment of now mindset he was trying to achieve at the meditation retreat, but it fell flat.

It also bothered me that sections tended to end with obvious teasers of the "little did I know" variety. After several of these teasers, I started mentally adding "find out after this commercial break" and was very entertained by how perfectly it fit into Harris's monologue.

One of the things Harris explored was how to embrace the tenets of meditation while maintaining an edge in a competitive field.

I definitely wasn't the target audience for this book. It's probably good for people who are put off by the patchouli smell wafting around the meditation scene. And for those who like to take advice from celebrities. But since I wasn't that interested in Harris's backstory and was disappointed in the lack of actual information, this was a miss for me. Past me should have read the synopsis better, I guess.

Colleen

3 Stars

*An engaging memoir about self-help somewhat lacking in substance*


My archeological adventures through my backlist TBR continue. This has admittedly led to some moments of befuddlement as I try to remember when and why I added some books. When I originally added 10% Happier to my TBR, I think I missed that it was by a major news anchor - basically a celebrity. I don't like celebrities. So I did not relate to the parts about him climbing the ladder (which seemed to be a lot more about popularity and politics than talent or ethics). The mercenary look at behind the news scene was off-putting though not surprising. Unfortunately, I just kept picturing the movie Anchorman and couldn't take it seriously.

I didn't realize that this was really just a memoir. I thought there would be more research and something new or some unique spin. While Harris was entertaining most of the time, I didn’t actually like him. I did not relate to his narcissistic focus on his looks or his career and definitely not to his cocaine-induced panic attack – though I appreciated his candor about confronting his mistakes.

Harris provided a snarky, no-nonsense approach to meditation and other alternative stress management. I can see why this book appeals to people even if it didn’t wow me.


Make the present moment your friend rather than your enemy. Because many people live habitually as if the present moment were an obstacle that they need to overcome in order to get to the next moment. And imagine living your whole life like that, where always this moment is never quite right, not good enough because you need to get to the next one. That is continuous stress.


The 10% in title is, by the author's own admission, a totally made up statistic. It was an off the cuff response when someone asked him what the point of meditation was. On the one hand, it probably does attract people more to offer a slight-but-attainable improvement as opposed to the magical bliss of nirvana. On the other hand, my data analyst brain cannot handle any made up statistics.

The writing wasn't consistent either. It randomly switched to present tense for one section. I don't know if that was an intentional attempt to mimic the moment of now mindset he was trying to achieve at the meditation retreat, but it fell flat.

It also bothered me that sections tended to end with obvious teasers of the "little did I know" variety. After several of these teasers, I started mentally adding "find out after this commercial break" and was very entertained by how perfectly it fit into Harris's monologue.

One of the things Harris explored was how to embrace the tenets of meditation while maintaining an edge in a competitive field.


Striving is fine, as long as it’s tempered by the realization that, in an entropic universe, the final outcome is out of your control. If you don’t waste your energy on variables you cannot influence, you can focus much more effectively on those you can. When you are wisely ambitious, you do everything you can to succeed, but you are not attached to the outcome—so that if you fail, you will be maximally resilient, able to get up, dust yourself off, and get back in the fray. That, to use a loaded term, is enlightened self-interest.


I definitely wasn't the target audience for this book. It's probably good for people who are put off by the patchouli smell wafting around the meditation scene. And for those who like to take advice from celebrities. But since I wasn't that interested in Harris's backstory and was disappointed in the lack of actual information, this was a miss for me. Past me should have read the synopsis better, I guess.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Attention to Details: 3 Stars
Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Objectivity: 2 Stars

fizzy

Honestly, it took me hell of a time to finish it. Just not right for me ;(

Kristen Claiborn

I'm a big ol fan of all things Good Morning American, which became even greater since this whole pandemic thing started. I thoroughly enjoy the camaraderie of the weekend team and since Dan Harris shamelessly plugs this book minute-by-minute, I figured I should give it a read. I also have a 2010 goal of reading more non-fiction, so this one fit right in. 
 I loved how Harris was completely able to bash himself. That was fun to read. We all have these moments that embarrassed us, but most of us try really hard to forget those moments and never talk about them. Harris dove right in, which makes sense because his lovely breakdown happened on live television. It was also impressive how willing he was to try new things, despite his trepidations. A lot of us look at people who promote meditation as hokey; living in the stars even. Harris kept plugging along until he found what was right for him, which seemed a difficult task. He ran across quite a few interesting characters in his quest for okayness, and eventually he got to a good place. I applaud both his efforts to find his own inner peace and his desire to share his journey.

#1 New York Times Bestseller and winner of the 2014 Living Now Book Award for Inspirational Memoir. 'An enormously smart, clear-eyed, brave-hearted, and quite a personal look at the benefits of meditation' - Elizabeth Gilbert 10% Happier is a spiritual book written for - and by - someone who would otherwise never read a spiritual book. It is both a deadly serious and seriously funny look at mindfulness and meditation as the next big public health revolution. Dan Harris always believed the restless, relentless, impossible-to-satisfy voice in his head was one of his greatest assets. How else can you climb the ladder in an ultra-competitive field like TV news except through nonstop hand-wringing and hyper vigilance? For a while, his strategy worked. Harris anchored national broadcasts and he covered wars. Then he hit the brakes, and had a full-blown panic attack live on the air. What happened next was completely unforeseen. Through a bizarre series of events - involving a disgraced evangelical pastor, a mysterious self-help guru and a fateful gift from his wife - Harris stumbled upon something that helped him tame the voice in his head: meditation. At first, he was deeply suspicious. He had long associated meditation with bearded swamis and unwashed hippies. But when confronted with mounting scientific evidence that just a few minutes a day can literally rewire the brain for focus,happiness, and reduced reactivity, Harris took a deep dive. He spent years mingling with scientists,executives and marines on the front lines of a quiet revolution that has the potential to reshape society. He became a daily meditator, and even found himself on a ten-day, silent meditation retreat, which was simultaneously the best and worst experience he'd ever had. Harris's life was not transformed into a parade of rainbows and unicorns, but he did gain a passion for daily meditation. While the book itself is a narrative account of Dan's conversion amid the harried and decidedly non-Zen world of the newsroom, it concludes with a section for the novice on how to get started.

Mounir Bashour

Dan if you are reading this - enlightenment is real.

Sonja H

Interessant aber muss man nicht lesen. Selbstfindung des Autors

Ana Cob

Reading this felt like talking to a friend, who you like and respect, and who wants to share something of themselves with you. Hence you are intrigued, fascinated plus you like and respect them even more afterwards. Even though I actually knew nothing about the author before I picked this book up!

I got a bit lost with the politics of Harris's work. I am not familiar with the programs he is talking or the channels or the kind of reporting he talked about. I found it interesting though. I felt close to his observations about faith and thought that his humorous notes were very well placed. But he also didn't make mindfulness seem like a walk in the park and his observations about tedium, exasperation and difficulty were very welcome and on point.

Nadine 

The beginning was annoying but I'm glad I persevered - a journey of attempts to combine American Jewish striving competitive careerism with Buddhism - largely successful

KADY BURNS

I loved this book a lot. Explains meditation in a non religious way.

Bryan Maniotakis

50% biography, 50% meditation for skeptics. Recommended.

Chante Muller

I take away something new every time I read this book.

Jenna Pederson

Great introduction to the benefits and impact that meditation and mindfulness have. Really enjoyed Dan's story and writing style. This is not necessarily a "how to" guide, but an intro on the impacts it can have on your life.

Adam

More of a memoir of an experience into self help than anything else, this one had me nodding along throughout in agreement as the authors stances on various trendy ways of managing happiness affected his overall health. I didn't end up having any revelations about my own happiness in reading this, but enjoyed the journey.

Les Reynolds

Great book. An interesting memoir, with lots of great information about the value of meditation.

Ren &
10% Happier by Dan Harris

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Ren &10% Happier by Dan Harris

Reviews

Highlights

Join the club

Ren &
10% Happier by Dan Harris