Person
Every book Dan Harris recommended on podcasts
Dan Harris, during his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience alongside Jeff Warren, emerges as a thoughtful commentator on meditation, mindfulness, and the pitfalls of the modern self-help and positive thinking industries. Harris spoke extensively about Waking Up by Sam Harris, praising it as his favorite among Sam's many books and referencing it while discussing Eastern and Western approaches to understanding the human mind. Conversely, Harris launched strong critiques against toxic positivity and the commercial self-help movement, explicitly criticizing books like Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, Norman Vincent Peale's The Power of Positive Thinking, and Rhonda Byrne's The Secret. He argued against the harmful illusions propagated by these texts, warning that unrealistic visions and unchecked positive thinking had ruined lives. Additionally, Harris highlighted Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle to illustrate the practical application of compassion through action. Through these varied critiques and endorsements, Harris promotes grounded mindfulness while actively pushing back against superficial dogmas in modern literature.
Books recommended by Dan Harris
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Waking Up
Waking Up by Sam Harris is a book and meditation guide that explores spirituality, mindfulness, and the nature of consciousness from a secular perspective.
Recommended“I mean one of the points that sam Harris mutual friend of ours great podcaster great writer has made in his book waking up which was one of his many books but I think my favorite is that you know in the West we've developed an intellectual and scientific culture that is really robust and has changed the world”
Where to get it
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Tattoos on the Heart
Discussed“there's a book called tattoos on the heart which was written by the guy who wrote ran homeboy industries here in LA”
Where to get it
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The Power of Positive Thinking
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale is a classic self-help manual that popularized the implementation of optimism, faith-based mental discipline, and mind-over-matter techniques to achieve personal success.
Critiqued“there's a book called the show positive thinking there's another book called Think and Grow Rich”
Where to get it
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The Secret
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is a bestselling self-help book and film centered on the law of attraction, which posits that positive thoughts can manifest wealth, health, and happiness.
Critiqued“and I reminded everyone about Oprah and the secret Yes I'm like do you know how many people ruined their lives because they thought all they had to do is have a vision board and think positive”
Where to get it
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Think and Grow Rich
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill is a foundational self-help and personal finance classic that outlines timeless principles for achieving wealth and success through mindset and perseverance.
Critiqued“because there's there's a book called the show positive thinking there's another book called Think and Grow Rich I don't want people to go buy these books”
Where to get it
Books Dan Harris wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1062 - Dan Harris & Jeff Warren | The Joe Rogan Experience | 2018-01-10 | 8 |
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“and I ended up covering a lot of these New Age gurus and that was why I ended my the first book I wrote was called 10% happier because I was trying to counter program”
“and that was why I ended my the first book I wrote was called 10% happier because I was trying to counter program against the howling sea of yeah that is America's 11 billion dollar a year self-help industry”