Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life

(Paperback)

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Description

Acclaimed behavioural science writer Winifred Gallagher's RAPT makes the radical argument that much of the quality of your life depends not on fame or fortune, beauty or brains, fate or coincidence, but on what you choose to pay attention to. RAPT introduces a diverse cast of characters, from researchers to artists to ranchers, to illustrate the art of living the interested life. As their stories show, by focusing on the most positive and productive elements of any situation, you can shape your inner experience and expand your world. By learning to focus, you can improve your concentration, broaden your inner horizons and, most important, feel what it means to be fully alive.

Reviews

aAs the 19th-century philosopher William James wisely understood, what you selectively notice and attend to is what makes up your experience. It is your life! Winifred Gallagher gets it. She has written a provocative, illuminating, and captivating book on the power and importance of attention in multiple domains of life a relationships, work, leisure, health. What makes some people happier, healthier, more fulfilled, more creative, or more engaged than others Because of what they pay attention to.a
aSonja Lyubomirsky, author of "The How of Happiness"
"Many will benefit from this thoughtful book. Among other 21st century challenges, the increasing velocity of communication threatens to drive us into a permanent sea- storm of distraction. Thank you, Winifred Gallagher, for bringing our attention back to the essential matter of attention."
aDavid Shenk, author, "Data Smog" and "The Forgetting"
aThis wonderful and inspiring book asks readers to remember something so simple and yet so little appreciatedawhat you focus upon profoundly affects your quality of life. I canat think anyone who wouldnat benefit from the message contained herein. Itas a powerful and much needed prescription for these tumultuous times.a
aSarah Susanka, author of "The Not So Big Life" and "The Not So Big House series"

Author Bio

Winnifred Gallagher's books include House Thinking, Just the Way You Are, Working on God, and The Power of Place. She has written for numerous publications, including The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times.