I would like to preface this review by stating that I have grown to genuinely believe that every day is a new day to learn and improve the overall quality of your life. It has taken time, effort and an abundance of hurdles (primarily in the form of consequences to my actions) to make a switch from my brain being a near constant source of buzzing and intrusive negativity to more of an optimistic and positive mindset. At first, it felt forced and fraudulent, but I was determined to change my thought processes. I was tired of feeling bogged down, complaining about the same problems every day, and actively perpetuating and reinforcing that negativity. It's exhausting. At some point, you have to realize that some behaviors are not working for you and make changes accordingly. More often than not, the behaviors that need to be unlearned are behaviors that may have worked in the past but no longer serve who you are today. We were not created to be stagnant, and unlearning harmful behaviors is necessary for personal growth.
Shift is a phenomenally informative and incredibly well-written book. I read every word of this book with intention, making notes mentally and physically, not wanting to overlook even the smallest detail and nuance. I wasn't aware of Ethan Kross' work prior to this ARC and have since added his other published work, Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It to my TBR list because I thoroughly enjoyed his style of writing. I'm pretty picky with anything that falls under the 'self-help' genre because there are far too many self-proclaimed life coaches and gurus who focus their energy on creating and maintaining status, image or power. Thankfully, Ethan Kross is not one of those people. I'm so glad to have had the privilege of reading and studying this blueprint because it has definitely added more psychological tools to my toolbox.
From the first page, I could feel that this subject is personal to him and that he is genuinely passionate about his work. He opens chapter one with memories from his childhood. Specifically, memories of and with his grandmother, a survivor of the Holocaust. This formative relationship would inspire Kross to pursue research on the science behind emotions and emotion regulation.
Ethan Kross is a professor at the University of Michigan and is the founder and director of the Emotion and Self-Control Lab. Being as prestigious and learned as he is, he very easily could have written this book using technical jargon specific to his field of study, limiting this text to only those who are able to fully understand it. Kross' writing feels crafted with the intention of being understood and studied by his audience, meeting them wherever they are in their journey. To expand on this point, Kross refers to this work as a "blueprint," which is typically provided as a means of direction and instruction. I understood this to mean that Kross wants to provide readers with guidance and knowledge so they, too, can add tools to their toolbox in order to properly navigate, regulate, and understand their emotions.

A wonderful read!
Very helpful. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really appreciated this book! Even being a mental health professional myself, I feel that Kross gives us a lot of fresh takes on ways we can control our emotions (and also help others to do the same). This was a fast read, but that’s because of how engrossing it was. This is worth a read for anyone who has emotions and is trying to figure out the healthiest way to process them and not be led by them.

I ended up checking out a physical copy of this book from my library so I'll be reading that! But so far as with Chatter, Ethan Kross has written another engaging and well-research book on how we can better manage our emotions. I think Kross has a conversational yet polished way of writing, he makes his subject matter approachable and relatable, and he really understands how to choose topics for his pop psychology books that will resonate with many readers (especially me!)

Ethan Kross writes books that provide a peek into the way of handling emotions that are unique and creative. "Shift" is another piece of the puzzle that is the human condition and is a must-read.

With captivating examples, Ethan Kross shares the science of emotions and emotion regulation for all. Ethan's prior book, Chatter, provided an excellent nonfiction book for my Honors General Psychology learners to engage with via a jigsaw classroom activity. I look forward to incorporating Shift into my future Honors General Psychology course.

Shift: Managing Your Emotions So They Don't Manage You by Ethan Kross is a non-fiction book about how to allow yourself to feel your emotions without letting them take over. The author says, "Emotions aren't good or bad, they are just information." It's our job to use that information to inform our decisions, but not let the emotions take over our behavior. This was a good reminder, even though it wasn't new information to me. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I found this to be a very insightful and reflective book. This is a title that I can certainly use to help develop curriculum and mindset work for my students. It can help my students work on perspective shifts as well as tools for emotional regulation. This title will fit in well with the budding SEL (social emotional learning) programs that schools across the nation are prioritizing.

Kross, a leading expert on emotions, explores how we can regulate our feelings to enhance self-control. Backed by extensive research, his book presents practical tools for managing emotions effectively.

Key takeaways: We can’t control external triggers, but we can influence our response. Sensory tools like music and art impact emotions. Attention shapes emotional impact. The “ABC” model—Adverse Event, Belief, Consequence—shows how shifting beliefs alters outcomes. Even social media language can indicate mental health trends.

Kross emphasizes that while no single method works for everyone, understanding and applying these strategies can improve emotional well-being. A highly readable and insightful book, I’d recommend it to anyone interested in emotional resilience.

What a book! SHIFT: MANAGING YOUR EMOTIONS--SO THEY DON'T MANAGE YOU by Ethan Kross was that kind yet blunt friend telling you hard truths that make perfect sense even though you need an entirely new framework to put them to work--and that talk changes your life for the better. I didn't like everything Kross had to share, BUT his perspective empowered me to think differently about thinking and feeling as I do. I definitely struggle with certain situations and individuals, but at least now I can see them for what they are: old ways of living that do not serve my present nor my future. I especially liked his straightforward and clear way of writing, feeling like the words were meant just for me. I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased opinions. .

I greatly enjoyed the author's first book, Chatter, and reference it often, so I was very excited to see another book! This book was just what I expected, explaining the science behind why our brains do what they do while also giving multiple strategies to, essentially, hack our emotions. Ethan Kross does a great job of putting the science lingo into laymen's terms that makes it more accessible for a wider variety of readers. Highly recommend!

In "Shift: How to Manage Your Emotions so They Don't Manage You," Dr. Ethan Kross, a distinguished neuroscientist and acclaimed author, explores the complexities of emotions, elucidating their importance and strategies for effective management. Kross characterizes emotions as intricate responses that integrate our feelings, cognitive processes, and physiological sensations in reaction to significant occurrences. He challenges the prevalent notion that emotions are intrinsically detrimental, advocating for their constructive utilization. He identifies critical indicators that suggest when emotions may be counterproductive, such as persistent rumination, dependence on substances, and an incessant quest for validation. By acknowledging these behaviors, individuals can begin to harness their emotions for constructive purposes. Tools designed to facilitate emotional regulation are presented in this book. The personal narratives woven through the book kept me engaged in the reading experience. At times, the scholarly insights were a little challenging and made my attention wander.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you are interested in learning how to better manage your emotional responses then I think this book will provide solid ideas in order to achieve some balance. It is well researched, well written and Kross gives good concepts and techniques to shift your mindset.

This was an interesting book. It made me look at emotions in a new way. Recommended for readers who are interested in psychology.

I absolutely loved and hated this book. It was the book I needed but didn't want to hear, and at too many points, it felt as if Kross was talking directly to me saying, "You there! Yes, you - you do this and it's not good. Here's what to do instead and why..."

Kross not only gives you explanations as to what emotions are (and how they differ from feelings), but how and why we should acknowledge them all - even the bad ones. Which, lets be honest, are the ones most of us struggle with.

This book is full of knowledge, facts, studies and tools for every single person on their self-growth journey.

**Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

The concepts and techniques described in this book about learning to recognize, use, and shift your emotional state when it is not serving you were interesting and may be very useful. The author has a quick, explanatory, almost breezy style of writing that makes for easy reading. But I didn't think the frequent illustrative anecdotes were all that helpful, or usually even all that apropos—they seemed to serve just to lengthen the book and seemed like filler that I wished I could skip.

This book makes me think of the Inside Out movies (not to over-simplify it), in the context that all emotions, good and bad, are valid and that they are an internal guidance system.

Excellent, well-researched book by a university professor/psychologist and director of Emotion & Self Control Laboratory, illustrating that cognition is tied to emotion rather than the two working as opposites. Overall, the science of emotions has many, many varied opinions on how emotions work, and the book describes how emotions can work for you as well as the negative side of persisting emotional dysregulation.

Emotions are pieces of information, not something to be seen as good or bad, and even negative emotions can help you process your thoughts. Shift means being able to move from one emotional state to the other, and the book shows different techniques for doing so. It was also helpful to have many examples of how everyone has a different style of managing their emotions, including the difference in intensity of emotions, duration, and why some emotions are stickier than others.

I also appreciated the captivating storytelling bits - this read flew by, which isn’t always the case for more science-based books. I think everyone can benefit from this book, as it helps you become more conscious of your emotions and what they are trying to tell you.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are independently my own.

I loved Kross's work in "Chatter" so I was excited to see this book come out! As always, he writes in a clear and concise fashion that is easy to digest no matter your level of science background. I appreciated his empirically based suggestions, and I would definitely recommend this book to others! He gives a number of easy to implement strategies we all could benefit from. Thank you NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for this review.

An excellent book on how to harness your emotions to work for you, not get stuck in life and move forward! Highly recommend it to anyone who likes self-help books and anyone who needs a book on changing their perspective!

This book is about the times in life where a certain emotion (i.e. sadness) becomes either too intense or too long in duration and thus becomes in some sense debilitating. Kross asserts that some emotions likely cannot be managed --as much as we may wish to turn them on and off, we cannot. Other emotions can be managed. This book lists a number of tools that can be test-driven in various contexts to help virtually anyone. Although there is interaction with dozens of studies, this is still an easy read with plenty of illustrations and practical advised. A solid introduction to the topic of emotional management.