Born to Flourish - by Richard J Davidson & Cortland Dahl (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

How can we live happy, fulfilling lives in the face of today's challenges? This accessible program grounded in neuroscience answers the question with simple practices we can easily fold into our daily lives for profound results.

In a world pulling our thoughts and emotions in so many directions, Born to Flourish offers a way to turn stress and anxiety into clarity and calm. Renowned neuroscientists and contemplative teachers Richard J. Davidson and Cortland Dahl bring us a powerful program rooted in decades of research from the Center for Healthy Minds. Focusing on four transformative practices, they bring us key tools to help train our brains to overcome depression, despair, and loneliness.

- Awareness: Learn to be fully present with your emotions so that you can embrace all of life's ups and downs.
- Connection: Grow meaningful relationships and a sense of belonging by cultivating kindness and appreciation.
- Insight: Learn to know yourself through self-inquiry, so that you can break free from old narratives.
- Purpose: Connect with your core values and guiding motivation to create clarity and make sound decisions.

We are all born with a natural ability to flourish, but that ability needs to be trained for us to live a thriving life. The good news is that only a few minutes of practice each day makes a measurable difference. With actionable steps and inspiring stories, Born to Flourish helps you integrate these practices effortlessly--whether you're commuting, doing chores, or simply lying in bed.

This is a call to embrace life's chaos and tap your inner strength. For anyone seeking to enhance their mental health and overall well-being, Born to Flourish will light a way forward.

Review Quotes

"A proven path to living a full, rich life despite today's challenges. We all need this!"--Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety

"Compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly practical, Born to Flourish translates cutting-edge neuroscience into everyday wisdom. Drawing on both lived experience and decades of research, the authors reveal how small, simple shifts in mind and behavior can transform our well-being. This book is a compassionate and hopeful guide to thriving, even in turbulent times."--Martha Beck, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Beyond Anxiety

"A remarkable book! A clear and accessible introduction to simple practices proven to change brains and lives for the better. Savor it, mark up the pages, and then give another copy to someone you care about."--Robert Waldinger, MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Life

"This beautifully written, heart- opening, mind-expanding book shows us how, by engaging in some key healthy habits of mind, we can harness the potential for change in our brains and bodies in ways that support enduring flourishing. I deeply support the authors' finding that by personally practicing what they have discovered, we can help to reverse the perilous course we are currently following as a society."--Bessel A. van der Kolk, MD, New York Times bestselling author of The Body Keeps the Score

"This brilliant and accessible program shows us that true well-being is within reach--even if you think you're too busy! It goes beyond mere self-care to give us a new, better way to move through the world. Born to Flourish is a roadmap to changing your life at every level."--Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO, Thrive Global

"Part neuroscience, part ancient wisdom, part practical playbook--Born to Flourish presents a radical idea: flourishing is a learnable skill. There's no one I trust more to show us not just why this matters, but exactly how to begin. Essential reading."--Angela Duckworth, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Grit

"The practical message that we can master the art of well-being--and actionable lessons in how to do this--offers each of us a way to improve not just our lives, but what we give to those we connect with. A welcome invitation to a life of compassionate attention, resilience, equanimity, and kindness."--Daniel Goleman, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Emotional Intelligence

"A necessary and groundbreaking treatise on human potential, both what is preternaturally within us, but also what we might achieve and overcome together. Built on compassion, insight, and deep research, this book is balm for our times."--Ocean Vuong, New York Times bestselling author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

"What many books promise, this one delivers: a few short, simple, scientifically-validated activities that can change your life. Born to Flourish offers a clear roadmap for anyone who wants to live a happier, more fulfilling, more meaningful life--in other words, all of us!"--Daniel Gilbert, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness

"This is a terrific book to get and read if you want a practical and scientifically proven way to a more flourishing life. The expert authors have written an engaging and personal book that can guide you to a better life."--John D. E. Gabrieli, PhD, Grover Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) and MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences

"Born to Flourish makes a compelling case that true well-being is a skill and can be cultivated by anyone who genuinely seeks it. Distilling the best of the latest science, Buddhist mental training, and the deep warmth of Richie's decades-long friendship with the Dalai Lama, the book offers a clear and practical road map to human flourishing. In writing this book, Richie and Cortland have given humanity a timely and invaluable gift."--Thupten Jinpa, PhD, Principal English Translator to the Dalai Lama and author of A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to Be Compassionate Can Transform Our Lives

"Born to Flourish provides all of us with a powerful, strongly scientifically validated, and incredibly user-friendly four-step framework for living life in a profoundly meaningful way. Step by step, it guides us in how to effectively mobilize our multiple intelligences for inhabiting both the ordinary and the particularly nitty gritty moments in their fullness, thereby tapping into our full potential for flourishing, and perhaps, even transforming our world."--Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, Founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), author of Full Catastrophe Living

About the Author

Richard J. Davidson, PhD, is the William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Davidson founded the nonprofit, Healthy Minds Innovations, which translates science into tools to cultivate and measure well-being. He received his PhD from Harvard University in psychology and is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. He has published over 602 articles, numerous chapters and reviews, and edited seventeen books. Davidson is the author with Sharon Begley of The Emotional Life of Your Brain and coauthor with Daniel Goleman of Altered Traits. He is one of the most highly cited scientists in the world and was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and appointed to the Governing Board of UNESCO's Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development. A highly sought-after speaker, he leads conversations on well-being on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he served on the Global Council on Mental Health. Davidson's latest book with coauthor Cortland Dahl, PhD, is Born to Flourish.

Cortland Dahl, PhD, serves as a Contemplative Scientist at UW-Madison's Center for Healthy Minds and Chief Contemplative Officer at the center's affiliated nonprofit, Healthy Minds Innovations. Healthy Minds Innovations translates science into tools to cultivate and measure well-being. He is also cofounder and Executive Director of Tergar International, a global meditation community rooted in the teaching of and guided by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Dahl holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as a master's degree in Buddhist studies. His eclectic background includes long periods of solitary retreat in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal and the translation of ancient Tibetan meditation manuals, as well as cutting-edge research on the science of well-being including a new scientific framework for the cultivation of human flourishing. Dahl created the content for the acclaimed Healthy Minds Program meditation app. He is a scientist, author, translator, and meditation teacher, but his true passion is using ancient wisdom and modern science to help people flourish. He is the author of A Meditator's Guide to Buddhism and Born to Flourish, with coauthor Richard J. Davidson, PhD.