Dan Harris is a former ABC News anchor who suffered a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America in 2004. In this memoir, he traces his path from stress-driven journalism through encounters with self-help gurus and Buddhist teachers to a reluctant embrace of meditation, arguing from a journalist's skeptical standpoint that regular practice can reduce the dominance of the inner voice that drives anxiety and poor decisions.
The result is less a spiritual testimonial than a practical case that meditation is a secular tool with measurable, if modest, returns. Harris describes his experiences with figures including Joseph Goldstein, Mark Epstein, and Deepak Chopra, and engages with the neuroscience and psychology research on mindfulness. The book's title reflects his conclusion: meditation did not transform him into a different person, but made him a somewhat calmer, more focused version of himself.
Contents
Air Hunger
Unchurched
Genius or Lunatic?
Happiness, Inc.
The Jew-Bu
The Power of Negative Thinking
Retreat
10% Happier
The New Caffeine
The Self-Interested Case for Not Being a Dick
Hide the Zen
Epilogue
Reception
Published March 2014 on the It Books imprint of HarperCollins, 10% Happier debuted at #1 on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller list and has sold over a million copies. Reviewers praised its accessible, skeptical voice; the New York Times described it as 'a surprisingly fun and compelling book.' Some critics found the memoir format slow in its later chapters, and a few found the title's quantified promise glib. The book was the seed of a broader enterprise: a podcast consistently ranked among the top US interview shows, and a meditation app, both under the 10% Happier brand. Harris left ABC News in 2021 to lead the company full-time.
Frequently asked
What is 10% Happier about?
It is Dan Harris's memoir of discovering meditation after a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America in 2004. The book follows his journey through encounters with Buddhist teachers, neuroscientists, and self-help figures, and makes a practical, secular case that meditation can reduce the dominance of the inner voice that fuels anxiety and poor decisions.
Is the book suitable for readers skeptical about meditation?
It was written explicitly for skeptics. Harris approaches meditation as a journalist — demanding evidence, noting absurdities, and resisting the trappings of spirituality. Readers who have dismissed meditation as mystical or impractical tend to find his voice persuasive precisely because he shares their starting skepticism.
How does 10% Happier relate to Dan Harris's later work?
The book launched a media enterprise. Harris went on to host the 10% Happier podcast, one of the top-ranked interview podcasts in the US, and co-founded a meditation app under the same name. He left ABC News in 2021 to focus on the company full-time.