Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness ItChatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It
What it's about
Ethan Kross, a psychologist, explains the voice in our heads: how talking to ourselves can help us, but how negative 'chatter' can spiral into anxiety and depression. He offers science-based tools to manage it, like talking to yourself in the third person and taking a 'distanced' view.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's practical and research-based.
You'll love it if you liked
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
The Good Life
Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of ConnectionGood to know
It's a self-help book.
By the numbers
- Readers26 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller19 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking
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All 36 best-of lists →Quick answers
Is Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 55.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It about?
Ethan Kross, a psychologist, explains the voice in our heads: how talking to ourselves can help us, but how negative 'chatter' can spiral into anxiety and depression. He offers science-based tools to manage it, like talking to yourself in the third person and taking a 'distanced' view.
How long does it take to read Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It?
About 7 hours (273 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It?
If you liked it, try Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant, The Good Life by Robert Waldinger or Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg.

















