The Chimp Paradox: The Mind Management Programme for Confidence, Success and Happiness

by  Prof Steve Peters (2012)


This book on its own could well be a life-changing read, but when read in conjunction with "The Little Book of Stoicism", you really do have the whole package - ie: both the psychiatric and the philosophical take on how to live well.   "The Little Book of Stoicism" will give you the broad view, ramming the key messages home through the force of rigorously convincing argument, so you really can't forget what to do, even in the heat of the moment and the ethical heft it adds makes the whole exercise seem worth doing.

"The Chimp Paradox" describes exactly the same mental model but approaches the subject from a psychiatric point of view.  It is underpinned by the same Stoic idea that one should be realistic about the limits of ones control, and that one should learn to accept the things one cannot control. All the methods for dealing with the chimp brain are prefaced by this knowledge.

It is not in the least surprising that Victoria Pendleton gave it the thumbs up.  It shone through in her recent appearance on "Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins" .  It is a recipe for a life that isn't afraid of challenges and can still come up trumps.

Rating 9/10









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