Dan Harris — 10 percent Happier

33 published claims from this book.

• ‘10% happier’ is a slogan that emphasizes incremental improvement.
• Being in the moment is a component of mindfulness.
• Being skeptical can blind one to the possibility of enlightenment.
• Buddhism serves as a philosophy rather than a religion.
• Choiceless awareness allows one to observe thoughts without judgment.
• Confusion about sincerity and sanity is common in self-help circles.
• Environment alone does not cause neurosis; personal reaction to it does.
• Exploring boredom can enhance meditation practice.
• Human consciousness is undergoing significant evolution currently.
• Judgmental attitudes can hinder understanding of faith.
• Meditation can lead to continual self-improvement and exploration.
• Meditation can make a person 10% happier.
• Meditation changes brain structure by increasing gray matter in key regions.
• Meditation creates a new default mode of mental operation.
• Merging striving with nonattachment could inspire new approaches to personal goal-setting.
• Mindfulness allows for nonjudgmental observation of thoughts.
• Mindfulness allows for thoughtful responses instead of mindless reactions.
• Mindfulness alters perception of intrusive thoughts.
• Mindfulness creates resilience against impulse reactions.
• Mindfulness creates space to respond rather than react.
• Mindfulness involves being aware without judgment.
• Mindfulness practice can enhance mental clarity in stressful situations.
• Mindlessness leads to panic and detrimental behavior.
• Nonattachment enables resilience in the face of failure.
• Pausing and relaxing can enhance creativity and lead to epiphanies.
• Recognizing thoughts as just thoughts reduces their power.
• Suffering arises from clinging to impermanent things.
• The constant rush through life leads to anxiety and dissatisfaction.
• The ego creates a constant mental distraction.
• The slogan ‘10% happier’ was developed in reaction to self-help overpromising.
• Thoughts can influence moods and behaviors throughout the day.
• War provides journalists with a compelling adrenaline rush.
• Worrying can be productive until it becomes counterproductive.