Book SummaryThat Little Voice In Your Head, by Mo Gawdat

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of That Little Voice In Your Head

Like many people, Mo Gawdat was trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts and emotions until, after the death of his beloved son, he devised a formula to escape. Based on his background as a software engineer, Gawdat realized that our brains function like computers: We give them input, they process that input, and based on the processing code they use, the output is either happiness or unhappiness. So, if we want to be happy, all we need to do is alter our brain’s coding system. In That Little Voice In Your Head, Gawdat explains how to understand and program your brain so you can experience the world in ways that produce positive actions and emotions.

Mohammed “Mo” Gawdat is an entrepreneur, software engineer, and...

That Little Voice In Your Head Summary Part 1: Your Brain Functions Like a Computer

Gawdat argues that at its core, your brain is a computer, and its job is to understand the world and tell you how to react. So, to understand how your brain works, you must also understand how a computer works: First, a computer is given input—for example, the math problem 2x2. Based on the input it’s given, it selects a method to process the information—in this case, the method would be multiplication. Then, it performs the method (multiplication) and communicates the output—4.

Your brain goes through the same process—first we feed it information (inputs). Once your brain receives information, it selects a method to understand (process) that information. Finally, it communicates its findings to you through thoughts (what Gawdat refers to as “that little voice in your head”). Our thoughts trigger emotions, and our emotions cause us to feel either happy or unhappy.

(Shortform...

That Little Voice In Your Head Summary Part 2: Troubleshooting Your Brain

Gawdat identifies four processing errors that cause our brains to produce unhappiness. In this section, we’ll discuss each error and explain why it causes unhappiness.

Processing Error #1: Inaccurate Information

The first common error happens on the front end of the process—you’ve fed your brain inaccurate information (input) that sets the system up for failure. For instance, imagine that you want a computer to give you the answer for 2x2but your input is 1x2—you won’t get the output you want. In the same sense, if you want your brain to produce happiness, you must ensure that you’re feeding it the proper information to produce that result.

(Shortform note: Why is it so easy for us to accept and use inaccurate information? Some experts suggest that it’s because we’re not evolutionarily designed to question our perceptions—our ancestors valued information based on how well it helped them survive, not necessarily how accurate it was. For example, if there was a rumor a plant...

That Little Voice In Your Head Summary Part 3: Programming for Happiness

In this section, we’ll discuss the four tips Gawdat recommends to help your brain process and respond to information in ways that lead to happiness.

Programming Tip #1: Observe the World Around You

Gawdat recommends you actively observe the world around you and intentionally spend your time and attention on positive things. The purpose of this is two-pronged: First, focusing your mind on the details of the world around you will help direct your thinking to positivity rather than rumination (avoiding Error #4). Second, focusing on the world around you can lead to happiness because you’ll notice more things to be grateful for.

For example, be aware of beauty as you walk to work and snap a picture when you find it. Intentionally looking for beauty accomplishes three things: 1) It keeps your mind busy so you can’t ruminate, 2) it allows you to focus on positive things that make you happy rather than sights that annoy you (like litter), and 3) it helps you appreciate small details about your neighborhood that you wouldn’t have noticed before—even more to be happy about!

(Shortform note: Along the same lines as Gawdat’s idea to notice and photograph beauty, Cesar...

Shortform Exercise: Resolve a Recurring Thought

Gawdat explains that sometimes the best way to resolve recurring thoughts that are making us unhappy is to dedicate time to think about them. In this exercise, we’ll analyze a thought that’s been bothering you so you can overcome it.

What’s the most common recurring feeling you’ve been experiencing lately, and what primary thought has been triggering it? For example, maybe you feel like you’re not good enough. Reflecting on the times you’ve felt this way, you realize it’s because you're thinking about how your best friend hasn’t responded to your invitation to hang out.