Health · Similar reads
Books like The Upside of Stress
The best books like The Upside of Stress are Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, The Willpower Instinct, and Lost Connections. The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal is about stress, mindset, resilience. If that's what drew you in, here are 12 books that share its DNA — each summarized on Superbook, and ready to chat with in the app.
- Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
01
Robert M. Sapolsky · Health
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers is Robert Sapolsky's definitive popular account of the biology of stress.
Shares stress and psychology with The Upside of Stress.
Read the summary → - The Willpower Instinct
02
Kelly McGonigal · Self-help
The Willpower Instinct is based on Kelly McGonigal's popular ten-week science of willpower course at Stanford University's Continuing Studies program.
A kindred health read.
Read the summary → - Lost Connections
03
Johann Hari · Health
Lost Connections is Johann Hari's argument that depression and anxiety are not primarily chemical imbalances in the brain but responses to social and environmental conditions — disconnection from meaningful work, close relationships, the natural world, a secure future, and status that feels deserved.
A kindred health read.
Read the summary →
- Daring Greatly
04
Brené Brown · Health
Daring Greatly is Brené Brown's argument, drawn from twelve years of qualitative research on shame and vulnerability, that the willingness to show up without guarantees — to be seen, to risk failure, to remain open in the presence of uncertainty — is not weakness but the foundation of courage, connection, and meaningful achievement.
A kindred health read.
Read the summary → - Full Catastrophe Living
05
Jon Kabat-Zinn · Health
Full Catastrophe Living is Jon Kabat-Zinn's foundational text on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), the eight-week clinical program he developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979.
A kindred health read.
Read the summary → - Everything Is Figureoutable
06
Marie Forleo · Self-help
Everything Is Figureoutable is Marie Forleo's argument that almost any problem — personal, professional, creative — becomes solvable once you adopt a foundational belief that a solution exists and that you're capable of finding it.
Shares mindset and resilience with The Upside of Stress.
Read the summary → - Never Finished
07
David Goggins · Memoir
Never Finished is David Goggins' follow-up to Can't Hurt Me, continuing his story and philosophy of mental toughness beyond the point where the first book left off.
Shares mindset and resilience with The Upside of Stress.
Read the summary → - The Happiness Advantage
08
Shawn Achor · Psychology
Shawn Achor's core claim inverts a common assumption about success and happiness.
Shares mindset and resilience with The Upside of Stress.
Read the summary → - The Obstacle Is the Way
09
Ryan Holiday · Philosophy
The Obstacle Is the Way is Ryan Holiday's translation of Stoic philosophy into a practical guide for dealing with hardship.
Shares mindset and resilience with The Upside of Stress.
Read the summary → - Bouncing Forward
10
Michaela Haas · Health
Bouncing Forward is Michaela Haas's examination of post-traumatic growth — the documented phenomenon in which people who survive severe trauma often report not just recovery but meaningful transformation.
Both dig into resilience.
Read the summary → - Radical Remission
11
Kelly A. Turner · Health
Radical Remission is Kelly Turner's systematic study of cancer patients who experienced unexpected recoveries — cases where cancer regressed significantly or disappeared without conventional treatment, or after conventional treatment had failed.
Both dig into resilience.
Read the summary → - The Sleep Revolution
12
Arianna Huffington · Health
Arianna Huffington opens The Sleep Revolution with the incident that prompted it: collapsing from exhaustion at her desk in 2007, breaking her cheekbone on the way down.
Both dig into stress.
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Books like The Upside of Stress: quick answers
What are the best books like The Upside of Stress?
The best books like The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal are Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky, The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal, Lost Connections by Johann Hari, Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, plus 7 more below. Each was chosen for themes it shares with The Upside of Stress, such as stress, mindset, resilience.
What should I read after The Upside of Stress?
A natural next read after The Upside of Stress is Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky. Shares stress and psychology with The Upside of Stress. Other strong choices are The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal, Lost Connections by Johann Hari, Daring Greatly by Brené Brown.
What books are similar to The Upside of Stress by Kelly McGonigal?
The Upside of Stress centers on stress, mindset, resilience. Books with a similar feel include Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky, The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal, Lost Connections by Johann Hari, Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo — all free to read and chat with on Superbook.
