{"id":33294,"date":"2015-06-08T21:24:57","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T05:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=33294"},"modified":"2015-06-11T21:20:17","modified_gmt":"2015-06-12T05:20:17","slug":"7-science-backed-books-spirituality-will-change-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/7-science-backed-books-spirituality-will-change-life\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Science-Backed Books About Spirituality That Will Change Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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These days, it seems like there\u2019s a new spirituality book that comes out almost every other day. The problem with some of these so-called \u201cspirituality\u201d books, is that they only make sense to the author\u2026 because more often than not, these types of books are filled to the brim with enough pseudo-science and psycho-babble to shoot a sci-fi film.<\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re reading this article, I\u2019d venture to guess that you\u2019re not looking for fictional books about spirituality. That said, today we\u2019ll be outlining a powerful list of 7 science-backed books about spirituality that will (hopefully) help you make some positive strides in the spiritual department.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive in, shall we?<\/p>\n

#1.\u00a010{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} Happier<\/a> by Dan Harris<\/h2>\n

\"science-backed<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a skeptic by nature, then this is the book for you. 10{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} Happier<\/a> was written by news anchor, Dan Harris. In the book, he chronicles his run-ins with over-the-top self-help gurus (like the quacks behind The Secret)\u2014and cross-references their claims with science to determine whether they held up or not. Along the way, he uncovers the intersection of where science meets spirituality.<\/p>\n

#2. Waking Up<\/a> by Sam Harris<\/h2>\n

\"science-backed<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Waking Up<\/a> is a book that attempts to position itself as the guide to spirituality without religion. Written by a controversial atheist-neuroscientist named Sam Harris (no relation to the guy from the book above)\u2014the author provides a nice mash up of personal storytelling to back up his heavy-hitting\u2014science-backed\u2014arguments about why spirituality isn\u2019t something fluffy\u2026 but rather, when one seeks spirituality in the proper context (ex: practicing mindfulness), science has proven over and over that it has a dramatic improvement on the quality of an individual\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

#3. Flow<\/a> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi<\/h2>\n

\"science-backed<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My wife is a professional dancer and choreographer, and ever since the day I met her, she\u2019s sworn up and down that she feels like she\u2019s closest to her Creator when she immerses herself in the world of dance. To her, it doesn\u2019t matter whether she\u2019s performing on stage herself, or if she\u2019s choreographing a number for her students\u2026 every time she\u2019s doing something related to the art of dance, she ends up in this peak state of consciousness \u2014 where hours fly by like minutes, and everything is happening exactly the way it should be. This is known as flow. And anyone can cultivate it\u2014including you\u2014regardless of what you do for work. Get the book to learn how.<\/a><\/p>\n

#4. Real Magic<\/a> by Dr. Wayne Dyer<\/h2>\n

\"science-backed<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

You might be wondering how in the world it could make any logical sense at all to include a book titled Real Magic in an article about science-backed spirituality books. If I were you, I\u2019d be asking questions, too. So here\u2019s the deal with why this book made the list: it\u2019s grounded with mountains of research that prove the efficacy of the ideas presented by the author, Dr. Dyer. Ideas about the power of meditation<\/a> and mindfulness. And how much of an impact they can have on our overall well-being and happiness.<\/p>\n

#5. Uncovering Happiness<\/a> by Elisha Goldstein<\/h2>\n

\"science-backed<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Uncovering Happiness is a book about a more compassionate approach to dealing with the ever-expanding number of psychological ailments that pervade modern society\u2026 Depression and anxiety<\/a> are at an all time high, and our doctors are behaving like legal drug dealers \u2014 trying to solve these psychological ailments with prescription after prescription, which of course, act as nothing more than short-term solutions for long-term problems. In this book, author Elisha Goldstein<\/a> pulls back the curtain and helps us uncover our happiness \u2014 not with pills and prescriptions \u2014 but with self-compassion and mindfulness\u2026 and the best part? Dr. Goldstein\u2019s got the scientific research to prove the efficacy<\/a> of this treatment for long-term health, happiness, and wellbeing.<\/p>\n

#6. Learned Optimism<\/a> by Martin Seligman<\/h2>\n

\"science<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Optimism plays an essential role in getting your spirituality game together. This is because optimism leads to happiness\u2026 think about it: how many angry + unhappy spiritual people do you know? Personally, I can\u2019t really name any off the top of my head (and \u201creligious\u201d people don\u2019t count). The reason behind this is because they\u2019ve learned to cultivate optimism in their lives \u2014 which happens to be closely tied to faith\u2014not religion\u2014but faith. Learn more in Martin Seligman\u2019s Learned Optimism \u2014 it\u2019s crammed with nearly three decades of science-backed research on the power of optimism and the role it plays in developing happiness, meaning<\/a>, and spirituality in our lives.<\/p>\n

#7. Meditations<\/a> by Marcus Aurelius<\/h2>\n

\"best<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Meditations is filled with Stoic wisdom that\u2019s just as applicable to the world we live in today, as it was when it was when it was first written 1,800 years ago! The remarkable thing about the advice in this book, and the reason it shows up on this list, is because a vast portion of the spiritual principles that were practiced and written down so many centuries ago, have since been confirmed by science to be effective on our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Find out more by picking up a copy of this age-old text to see if you can bring a little old-school Stoic wisdom to the 21st century.<\/p>\n

Which book will you read first?<\/h2>\n

Now that you\u2019ve got this list of 7 science-backed books<\/a> about spirituality \u2014 there\u2019s only one question left\u2026 Which one do you read first? Should you go out and get all of them immediately?\u00a0Should you read them all at once?\u00a0Or should you take a lifetime to read them? So many options. So little time. Ultimately, it\u2019s totally your decision what you do with this list and how you apply it to your life and career. But if I may, here\u2019s what I would suggest you consider as you get started:<\/p>\n