Scan barcode
ksrousseau's review against another edition
4.0
Kross does a very good job of exploring and explaining the chatter in our heads, most particularly the negative self-talk that undermines us. He starts by describing the neurological processes of our inner voices, explaining why they exist and how they benefit us. But he also describes the ways in which our inner voice can overwhelm and hurt us. A large portion of the book reviews the research about all the factors that influence our inner voices - things that aggravate the negativity and actions that reduce it. Most of this seems logical and fairly obvious, but a few things were counter-intuitive, such as describing how emotional support from others can sometimes have negative effect and need to be balanced by cognitive support. In a short section at the end of the book, he outlines a toolbox - ways to influence your own inner voice activity, ways to give and receive support that helps and ways to use our environment to help.
jessv's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Short and relatable. Some parts may have lost my attention but overall an accessible non-fiction book relating anecdotes and research studies about anxiety and your inner voice. I appreciated the inclusion of the toolbox at the end! Hopefully putting some of these techniques into practice will be helpful.
annw's review against another edition
5.0
Interesting book about something that most of us experience - chatter inside our head.
This book is well written by a respected psychologist and neuroscientist, and is aimed at the average person with little grounding in psychology. Each chapter focuses on different types of chatter we experience and how we can learn to live with it, control and use it to our advantage.
At the end Tools section gives you more ideas of how to apply his theories to your own life, showing that small changes can make a big difference to the chatter than goes on in our head.
This book is well written by a respected psychologist and neuroscientist, and is aimed at the average person with little grounding in psychology. Each chapter focuses on different types of chatter we experience and how we can learn to live with it, control and use it to our advantage.
At the end Tools section gives you more ideas of how to apply his theories to your own life, showing that small changes can make a big difference to the chatter than goes on in our head.
marinashipley's review against another edition
3.0
I am torn about this book. While I really enjoyed the list of tools provided at the end of the book, I really had hard time concentrating while reading Chatter. Maybe my chatter didn't like reading about the chatter and tried to prevent me from enjoying the message of this book to the fullest:).
kimberly_th's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars, half star deduction because it was so jam-packed with good stuff that I couldn’t zone out while I listened! I thought I knew about self-talk, but there was still more to learn. Excellent content, filled with practical tips to distance the ruminating inner voice in our heads so that we don’t spiral or feel like we are losing control of the situation. The final chapter is a great inclusion because it concisely summarizes all the strategies. I especially liked the section about providing chatter support (care & support + concrete steps to move forward) and receiving chatter support (physical touch, having a board of advisors, performing rituals with others, and more). One of the few audiobooks that I will buy in hard copy.
emillie_parrish's review against another edition
5.0
It's a bit textbook-like for a bedtime read. But it appealed to my psych/neuroscience background. I also love how actionable the solutions are. Like all self-help books, it's not going to work for everyone, but it certainly worked for me!
whitakk's review against another edition
3.0
This was fine as a one-day skim. It's short and has a few specific things you can do to calm the voice in your head, backed up by reasonable evidence by psychology standards: think about situations as a fly on the wall, such as by speaking to yourself in the third person; use rituals to distract yourself; and find placebos, which work even if you know they're placebos. But it's not worth a deep read -- I didn't learn much about why this happens or why these interventions work, and the whole thing felt shallow. On the plus side, it's the first book I've read that was published within the last year that didn't have an intro all about Covid, which is refreshing.
heatherems's review against another edition
4.0
**** 4 Stars ****
Really good science-based writing on different methods of coping with negative self-chatter loops and anxiety-fueled thoughts and why it matters that a person can keep those negative thoughts from spiraling out of control. Ethan Kross, PhD, authors and narrates his own book. He is one of the world's leading experts on controlling the conscious mind and is the director of the Emotion and Self Control Laboratory at the University of Michigan.
Excellent listen on Audible, but I am considering buying the book as well. Chatter relays several tools for controlling our inner voice and helping it to be a positive force instead of a negative one. (Listen to the inner coach vs. the inner critic). Some examples are the power of ritual, the pronouns we use to refer to ourselves, distancing, positive touch, journaling, the placebo effect, the green effect (nature) and the power of Awe.
A synopsis of the mentioned tools are available at the end of the book for quick reference/application/reminder, thus making this a book that may be valuable to have in your library if you are interested in referring back to it at times.
Recommended for those interested in learning about influencing thinking to be more productive and positive and/or about psychology in general.
Really good science-based writing on different methods of coping with negative self-chatter loops and anxiety-fueled thoughts and why it matters that a person can keep those negative thoughts from spiraling out of control. Ethan Kross, PhD, authors and narrates his own book. He is one of the world's leading experts on controlling the conscious mind and is the director of the Emotion and Self Control Laboratory at the University of Michigan.
Excellent listen on Audible, but I am considering buying the book as well. Chatter relays several tools for controlling our inner voice and helping it to be a positive force instead of a negative one. (Listen to the inner coach vs. the inner critic). Some examples are the power of ritual, the pronouns we use to refer to ourselves, distancing, positive touch, journaling, the placebo effect, the green effect (nature) and the power of Awe.
A synopsis of the mentioned tools are available at the end of the book for quick reference/application/reminder, thus making this a book that may be valuable to have in your library if you are interested in referring back to it at times.
Recommended for those interested in learning about influencing thinking to be more productive and positive and/or about psychology in general.