The University of Michigan professor and author Dr. Ethan Kross wrote the book Chatter, interweaving groundbreaking behavioral and brain research with colorful, real-world examples to explain how the conversations we have with ourselves shape our lives and gives us the power to change them. Dr. Kross is also the director of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory at the university. He wrote the book after devoting the greater part of his career to studying the silent conversations people have with themselves in their own heads. Dr. Kross explains the book " Chatter: The Voice in Our Head and How to Harness It" and says it's a common experience that can have both positive or negative manifestations. He's not suggesting silencing your inner voice entirely but says our inner voices can be amazingly helpful for us. He says the challenge is to how we can make this inner voice work for our own betterment versus succumbing to the chatter.