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Cover of Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan KrossChatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It
New · Nonfiction, Psychology

Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It

by Ethan Kross
2021 · 273 pages · Nonfiction
Reserve shelf
≈ 7 hours to read · about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day

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

Good to know

It's a self-help book.

By the numbers

55.5Must-Read Score
  • 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

Shortlisted
Goodreads Choice (nonfiction) finalist (2021)

Reads as

Thought-provoking

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

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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.