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Chatter

The Voice in Our Head and How to Harness It

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Chatter

By: Ethan Kross
Narrated by: Ethan Kross
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELER

Turn your inner voice from critic to coach with the life-changing guide from the award-winning neuroscientist and psychologist.

We all have an inner voice. It helps us focus, achieve our goals and reflect on life’s most joyful moments. But it can also be our biggest enemy, replaying embarrassing moments, overthinking stressful situations, and sabotaging our confidence with endless mental ‘chatter’.

So why does this source of wisdom turn into our biggest critic? And how can we take back control?

In Chatter, award-winning neuroscientist and psychologist Ethan Kross distils decades of research to reveal the sheer power of the inner voice and shows us that we all possess a set of tools to harness it.

Weaving cutting-edge science with compelling true stories, Kross shares the powerful but simple tools to help make your brain’s ‘chatter’ work for you.

Fascinating, entertaining and full of original insights and tips, Chatter will change the conversations you have with yourself forever, and help you lead a healthier, happier, more productive life.

Praise for Chatter:

‘A masterpiece’ Angela Duckworth, bestselling author of GRIT

The groundbreaking and transformative book the world needs now.’ Susan Cain, bestselling author of Quiet

‘The definitive work on how to redirect our inner voices away from rumination and self-criticism and toward reflection and self-improvement.’ Daniel H. Pink, bestselling author of Drive

‘This book is going to fundamentally change some of the most important conversations in your life’ Adam Grant, bestselling author of Think Again

‘Completely fascinating... it's already changed my life’ Chris Evans

Accessible and informative - a fantastic addition to our understanding of our mind’ Julia Samuel, psychotherapist and bestselling author of This Too Shall Pass

‘Chatter
isn't just thought provoking - it's thought transforming.’ Apple Books Review

‘Weaves cutting-edge science with riveting stories…a truly compelling and valuable book.’ Carol Dweck, bestselling author of Mindset

© Ethan Kross 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Mental Health Awareness Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Health Inspiring Mental Health

Critic reviews

Completely fascinating... it's already changed my life
Are there right and wrong ways to communicate with yourself, and if so, are there techniques that might usefully be employed by those with inner voices that are just a little too loud?...Kross has found answers to some, if not all, of these questions...[Chatter] could hardly be published at a more opportune moment.
Fresh and riveting, Chatter is a masterpiece-a landmark book that will change the way you think about human nature. Ethan Kross is one part sage, one part mensch, and one part world-class psychological scientist. When I need advice, it's Ethan I call. Now, through Chatter, everyone has a chance to learn about their inner voice from among the wisest people I know. Required reading for all.
So accessible and informative - a fantastic addition to our understanding of our mind, and how it emphatically changes our day for good or bad.
Ethan Kross isn't just a world-renowned scientist, he's an expert storyteller too. In Chatter, he shows why our inner voice is indispensable, and reveals how we can master it. Urgent, lucid, and compelling, Chatter is the groundbreaking and transformative book the world needs now.
I've demonstrated throughout my career how negative thoughts can spiral and undermine people's success. In Chatter, Ethan Kross weaves cutting-edge science with riveting stories to reveal the tools people can use to manage these experiences. Chatter is a truly compelling and valuable book.
Chatter isn't just thought provoking - it's thought transforming.
This book is going to fundamentally change some of the most important conversations in your life - the ones you have with yourself. Along with being a pioneering psychologist and neuroscientist, Ethan Kross is an unusually gifted writer and storyteller. He shows that instead of trying to silence your monkey mind, you can learn to educate it, motivate it, and even reason with it.
I talk to myself. And so do you. Yet this remarkable capacity for introspection can sometimes lead us astray. Ethan Kross has written the definitive work on how to redirect our inner voices away from rumination and self-criticism and toward reflection and self-improvement. Chatter is a profound and practical book-one that will leave you with both a fresh understanding of yourself and new strategies to live a fuller life.
Stimulating . . . Kross, the director of the University of Michigan's Emotion & Self Control Laboratory, debuts with an eye-opening look at managing 'the silent conversations people have with themselves'.
All stars
Most relevant
I've made notes so I can apply these ideas. It will be worth my time (and yours). I've already tried some ideas with pleasing, and surprising results. My husband found it interesting too.

Well explained ideas & practical applications

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The book is very well narrated, and it contains clear practical advice. For a summary of ye takeaways go to the tools chapter at the end. Highly recommended. 👍

Helpful practical advice

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Really love how this impacted my daily life and self talk highly recommend if you struggle with negative thinking

3rd person self talk

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What an eye-opener (or should I say mind-opener?!). Really helped me find some mental clarity and understand how to quiet the difficult conversations I often have in my head.

Awe-inspiring book!

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Such a well written, practical and interesting book! Top three books I've read this year. Well done and thank you, Ethan.

I loved this book!

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