How to Winter - by Kari Leibowitz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A Behavioral Scientist Notable Book of 2024

A blend of mindset science, original research, and cultural insights for cultivating a positive "wintertime mindset," to vanquish winter blues and find joy and comfort in dark times year-round.

Do you dread the end of Daylight Saving Time and grouch about the long, chilly season of gray skies and ice? Do you find yourself in a slump every January and February? What if there were a way to rethink this time of year? Psychologist and winter expert Kari Leibowitz's galvanizing HOW TO WINTER uses mindset science to help readers embrace winter as a season to be enjoyed, not endured--and in turn, learn powerful lessons that can impact our mental wellbeing throughout the year.

Kari Leibowitz moved above the Arctic Circle - where the sun doesn't rise for two months each winter -expecting to research the season's negative effects on mental health, only to find that inhabitants actually looked forward to it with delight and enthusiasm. Leibowitz has since travelled to places on earth with some of the coldest, darkest, longest and most intense winters, and discovered the power of "wintertime mindset"-- viewing the season as full of opportunity and wonder. Impactful strategies for cultivating this wintertime mindset can teach us not just about braving the gray, cold months of the year, but also the darker and more difficult seasons of life.

• In Tromsø, Norway, people live in rhythm with nature, adapting to the months-long Polar Night by honoring seasonal fluctuations in energy, slowing down, and resting more.
• On the Isle of Lewis, off the coast of Scotland, communal gatherings around roaring fires embrace darkness and provide connection during long nights.
• In Yamagata, Japan, families sink into steaming onsen baths, banishing the chill of winter with healthful soaks that improve sleep and reduce risk of heart attack.

Inspired by cutting-edge psychological and behavioral science research as well as cultures worldwide that find warmth and joy in winter's extremes, HOW TO WINTER provides readers with concrete tools for making winter wonderful wherever they live and harnessing the power of small mindset changes with big impact to help readers embrace every season of life.

Review Quotes

"A fresh, inviting journey into stories and research that demonstrate how our mindsets can transform our experience of winter and, as a result, our lives year-round. Kari Leibowitz has written a practical guide to harnessing our mindsets to help us find meaning in darkness and difficulty. This book offers essential strategies for turning life's challenges into opportunities for growth."
--Carol Dweck, renowned psychologist and bestselling author of Mindset

"How to Winter is one of the most fascinating and transformative books I've read in a long time. Leibowitz offers a brilliant examination of how mindsets shape our experiences, a rollicking travelogue of her own adventures, and a life-changing guide to finding joy and meaning during the darkest months of the year. This is a stunning debut from a major new thinker."
--Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of When, Drive, and The Power of Regret

"In this delightful and original book, Kari Leibowitz convincingly argues that in learning to love winter we can gain a deeper insight into the ability of our mindset to control our reality."
--Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author of Slow Productivity and Deep Work

"The perfect mix of science, story-telling, and practical advice, How to Winter is not just a guide to finding joy and wonder in winter--it's also a truly life-changing education about human nature and psychology. It's a book that will help you find magic and meaning in everyday life and one you'll want to give to the people you love."
--Kelly McGonigal, bestselling author of The Willpower Instinct

"Incredible and evocatively written. This isn't just a guide to seeing and experiencing winter differently; it's an authoritative guide to living differently through dark and difficult times. Reading this book convinced me that changing my perspective on just about any unpleasant experience in life -- not just wintertime -- can in fact transform the experience itself. This is a must-read for anyone who loves winter -- and anyone who hates it."
--Vauhini Vara, author of The Immortal King Rao, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

"I will never look at winter the same way again after reading this book. At once engrossing and informative, deeply researched and personal, How to Winter will change the way you think about the season and the inevitable dark days we all face. Reading it will help you pay attention to the changing seasons of life and appreciate what they each have to offer."
--Simone Stolzoff, author of The Good Enough Job

"A treasure trove of science-backed ideas and inspiration for making it through winter like the Nordics do."
--Helen Russell, bestselling author of The Year of Living Danishly

"Even the most winter-averse reader will be hard-pressed not to hitch their breath at Leibowitz's description of sinking into a steam­ing Japanese bath as the snow begins to fall, or of gazing into a crackling fire as the wind howls outside a traditional thatched cottage in the hinterlands of Scotland. Peppered with activities and tips for incorporating similar comforting winter practices into your own life, How to Winter is a cozy field guide for not just surviving, but flourishing, in the long dark."
--BookPage

[T]his is a volume to curl up with by a fire with a warm cup of tea and cozy socks--or to carry along en route to an outdoor adventure in the snow. Inveterate winter-haters may not be ready to head to the Arctic yet, but all readers will find that by embracing the seasons that challenge them, they can achieve personal change in beautiful ways.
--Library Journal (starred review)

About the Author

Kari Leibowitz, PhD, is an internationally recognized health psychologist, a writer, and a speaker with a doctorate in psychology from Stanford University. As a US-Norway Fulbright Scholar living in the Arctic, she pioneered research on wintertime mindsets, and her workshops teach audi­ences around the world how to harness the power of mindset and embrace the darkest season. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post, and her work has been cov­ered by The Guardian, CNN, National Geographic, Forbes, BBC, and New Scientist.