Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
That Little Voice in Your Head summary
Mo Gawdat
Adjust the Code That Runs Your Brain
20 mins
Brief summary
That Little Voice in Your Head by Mo Gawdat is a thought-provoking book that delves into the nature of our inner voice and offers practical strategies to quiet negative self-talk and find inner peace.
Table of Contents
That Little Voice in Your Head
Summary of 4 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 4
You control your thoughts – which do not define you
Before we go any farther, there’s one concept you must accept: You are in control of your brain just as you are a computer, and that includes the messages it sends. The essence of “you” is more than just your thoughts.
While Gawdat credits the brain with being a marvelous machine, he says it’s like any other organ in the body in that it processes and produces things. Just as the lungs take oxygen from the air and expel carbon dioxide, the brain takes input and produces thoughts. Now, you don’t think of “yourself” as carbon dioxide, do you? The same should go for thoughts.
While we are making sure you separate your identity from your brain’s byproducts, also consider this: You can observe your thoughts. So, if you were merely your thoughts and nothing more, there would be no need for an internal voice to communicate anything — you’d already know. To Gawdat, it’s more proof that while the brain is critically important, it’s not all of you.
This leads to the hopeful conclusion that you have power over your thoughts. That little voice in your head? Well, you don't have to do anything it says. You can choose not to listen to it at all! Better yet, you can train it to think in ways that bring happiness to you and, potentially, the whole world.
Feeling empowered? Great. As promised, we’ll start with the top-level operations of our brains, so you can begin to identify what needs attention. Gawdat starts with a basic concept — an operational diagram — of how all computational systems operate. While he expands on it with a model that’s more complex, we’ll stick with the simple one to keep things brief.
First, we have inputs. They account for all the information that you put into a system. Next are processes, which describe what a system does with its inputs. Finally, there are outputs — whatever those inputs and processes produce.
If you are looking for happiness in life, then it’s likely you aren’t entirely pleased with your output. You may have tried a few things in your processes with no big improvements. With a computer, that would be like updating software, yet the machine still runs slowly. For you, maybe you’ve picked up meditating or established an exercise routine yet still are not feeling it, much less seeing results. Don’t worry. We’re getting there.
Let’s start at the beginning of the operational diagram to consider what may be happening with your inputs. Here’s a quick exercise to prime your mind. Take five minutes in a quiet spot and reflect on the past week. Jot down everything you can recall hearing, seeing, experiencing, or even feeling. and any thoughts you may have had about them. That’s it!
Keep your list. You’ll want to return to it after we look at the various things happening in your brain that can cause trouble.
Want to see all full key ideas from That Little Voice in Your Head?
Key ideas in That Little Voice in Your Head
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is That Little Voice in Your Head about?
That Little Voice in Your Head (2022) is a guide to understanding and optimizing your brain so you can live a happier life, using concepts from computer science and neuroscience to map the mind as an operating system. It includes many simple exercises to help you take control of your brain, thoughts, and emotions to reshape your own experience and positively affect the lives of others.
That Little Voice in Your Head Review
That Little Voice in Your Head (2021) by Mo Gawdat is a thought-provoking book that explores the inner workings of our minds and offers insight on finding happiness. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers a unique perspective on the human mind and its impact on our emotions, giving readers a fresh understanding of their own thoughts.
- Through personal anecdotes and scientific research, the author provides practical strategies for managing negative thinking and cultivating a positive mindset.
- This book is far from boring, thanks to its accessible and engaging writing style that makes complex psychological concepts easy to grasp and apply to our daily lives.
Who should read That Little Voice in Your Head?
- Anyone interested in achieving happiness
- People who want to increase their emotional intelligence
- Those interested in an expert computer science perspective on the human brain as AI evolves
Categories with That Little Voice in Your Head
Book summaries like That Little Voice in Your Head
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
32 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
That Little Voice in Your Head FAQs
What is the main message of That Little Voice in Your Head?
The main message of That Little Voice in Your Head is to listen to and understand the inner voice that guides our thoughts and actions.
How long does it take to read That Little Voice in Your Head?
The reading time for That Little Voice in Your Head varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is That Little Voice in Your Head a good book? Is it worth reading?
That Little Voice in Your Head is worth reading because it offers valuable insights into understanding and harnessing the power of our inner voice.
Who is the author of That Little Voice in Your Head?
The author of That Little Voice in Your Head is Mo Gawdat.
What to read after That Little Voice in Your Head?
If you're wondering what to read next after That Little Voice in Your Head, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Excellent Advice for Living by Kevin Kelly
- When You're Ready, This Is How You Heal by Brianna Wiest
- The Seven Day Sleep Prescription by Aric Prather
- I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was by Barbara Sher with Barbara Smith
- The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest
- Happy Mind, Happy Life by Rangan Chatterjee
- The Hour Between Dog and Wolf by John Coates
- Unlearn by Humble the Poet
- 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
- Unstressable by Mo Gawdat & Alice Law