Chatter
A review of

Chatter

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

Ethan Kross • Crown • 2022

Hushing the Voice in Your Head

by Patricia Sanders

Your inner voice can support professional performance and personal fulfillment – or undermine them. A psychologist explains how to put your thoughts to work for you, and quiet them when they get too loud.

Everyone has an inner voice that talks constantly – and people usually listen. The inner voice helps people function in the world and shapes their identity. But it can also take the form of mental chatter: the constant, negative loop of thoughts that can invade a person’s mind, take a toll on mental health, and harm relationships and career performance.

Psychologist Ethan Kross offers a compelling, accessible explanation of the sources and effects of chatter, along with a comprehensive toolbox of strategies for managing that inner voice. Kross, a professor at the University of Michigan’s psychology department and its Ross School of Business, studies introspection at Michigan’s Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory, which he founded. His insights will help readers whose biggest obstacle seems to be their own mind.

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