10% Happier – By Dan Harris

I purchased 10% Happier 8 years ago. It’s been sitting in my Kindle collection all this time. But as part of 2024’s drive to finish books I’ve started, I delved into it

In essence, 10% Happier is a part memoir about the author Dan’s discovery of the benefits of meditation, and part how-to about the process of meditation.

The author, tv anchor for Good Morning America and Nightline, Dan Harris was struggling with the voice in his head. After having a panic attack on TV, and with the fear that his career was over, he set out to try and calm his mind.

On his quest, he met a variety of figures from the spirituality scene including Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra, goes on a silent meditation retreat, and settles on the Buddhism-based mindfulness meditation. He discovers as he puts it that meditation can make you at least “10% happier” if not more.

If you’re interested in the benefits of mindfulness and meditation, but can’t stand the woo-woo bullshit around it (do a Google image search for meditation and you’ll see what I mean), this book could be for you.

Already familiar with mindfulness meditation, I found nothing new here, but it was a fun read as well as a great way to refamiliarise myself with the practise. If you’re looking to start a meditation practise, 10% Happier could be a great starting block.