USA TODAY
If you have been conscious for the last year, chances are you are experiencing more negative chatter in your head than ever. And if you are like most Americans, that negative chatter often spins out of control. It is that constant negative self-talk that experimental psychologist and neuroscientist Ethan Kross addresses in his new book, “Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It” (Crown, 272 pp., ★★★½ out of four.)
Kross, who studies the science of introspection at the Emotion and Self Control Laboratory, a lab he founded and directs at the University of Michigan, began work on Chatter several years ago, but its publication could not have come at a better time.
Why your most important relationship is with your inner voice Rachel Cooke
As Ethan Kross, an American experimental psychologist and neuroscientist, will cheerfully testify, the person who doesn’t sometimes find themselves listening to an unhelpful voice in their head probably doesn’t exist. Ten years ago, Kross found himself sitting up late at night with a baseball bat in his hand, waiting for an imaginary assailant he was convinced was about to break into his house – a figure conjured by his frantic mind after he received a threatening letter from a stranger who’d seen him on TV. Kross, whose area of research is the science of introspection, knew that he was overreacting; that he had fallen victim to what he calls “chatter”. But telling himself this did no good at all. At the peak of his anxiety, his negative thoughts running wildly on a loop, he found himself, somewhat comically, Googling “bodyguards for academics”.
La Nouvelle Tribune
By Elizabeth Bernstein â The Wall Street Journal.
Did you make your New Yearâs resolutions?
I hope you put âcognitive reappraisalâ on the list. Psychologists use this term to refer to the practice of replacing negative thoughts with ones that are both more positive and true. People who control their self-talk in this manner have better mental health, more life satisfaction, and even better-functioning hearts, research shows. Experts say the technique, which is central to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, is an important skill to master during difficult times. The good news is that you can do it at home.
Book World: 10 books to read in January
Bethanne Patrick, The Washington Post
Dec. 29, 2020
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Chatter; Burnt Sugar; The Doctors BlackwellCrownOverlookW. W. Norton/Handout
Things we can count on in 2021: a presidential inauguration, more covid-19 vaccinations and new reading material. Even if you received books as holiday gifts, you ll want to check out January s offerings, which include a prequel to Angie Thomas s The Hate U Give, a fresh perspective on land ownership from Simon Winchester and a dual biography of sisters who changed medical history.
- Black Buck: A Novel, by Mateo Askaripour (Jan. 5)
Askaripour s satire revolves around the rudderless Darren, whose fortunes change when he joins the sales team of a strange start-up where he s the sole employee of color. But soon, family trouble convinces him to use his newfound success for his community s good.