Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It by Ethan Kross. Ethan holds a a PhD in psychology from Columbia University. He is professor of psychology and management at the University of Michigan.
In addition, Ethan is the Director of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory. He is published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New England Journal of Medicine, and Science.
This is certainly mandatory reading. The praise attributed to Ethan’s effort is far and wide. And worth every endorsement. Within the opening chapters you will learn why so many have made critical praise to Ethan’s research. He warns that giving in to negative self-talk (what Ethan defines as Chatter) will certainly tank our health, alter our moods, place strain on our connections both at work and at home. Ultimately Chatter will cause us to fold under pressure.
In fact, Ethan is delivering his message in plain english. Actually I really enjoyed his little league baseball bat story. We all have a voice in our head. And yes, we all talk to ourselves. More often than not we find our inner critic. Ethan expands upon the silent conversations we have within ourselves. So, within the opening chapter we begin to understand why we talk to ourselves.
Why talking backfires
In fact, Ethan moves us to the obvious net level in chapter two: When talking to ourselves backfires. His story of a professional baseball player that faced adversity in the playoffs. The pitcher made a wild pitch and then began talking to himself. However he would throw five more wild pitches. The player talked himself out of pitching ever again in major league baseball. As Ethan shares, this player ‘unlinked’. So, infact the player’s inner voice, or Chatter, betrayed him. Yet after seven years, the player returned to major league baseball as a talented outfielder with a rocket arm. Amazing story of dedication and success in the long term.
The impact of cement ?
So, having lived in Chicago for almost a decade, chapter six Outside In was very compelling. Ethan in fact, revealed studies from residents in the Robert Taylor Homes, the world greatest segregated public housing complex. In surveying residents of the 28 sixteen story concrete towers on the historically black south side. Quite simply, residents who lived in a residence that faced a garden held better mental health than those residents who viewed a concrete wall. The study would reveal trees and grass provided ‘mental vitamins’ which resulted in better decision making, focus and attention, along with overall positive attitudes. This would be further reinforced in similar studies across Canada and England.
In conclusion, Ethan is providing amazing insights we can all benefit from. The good news is Ethan is providing insights that we all hold the tools necessary to make our inner voice actually work in our favor. Chatter is showing us we indeed have the power to change the most important conversations we all have every day — the one we have with ourselves. Simply a must read..