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    The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
    Unavailable
    The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
    Unavailable
    The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
    Ebook379 pages5 hours

    The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It

    By Kelly McGonigal

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Based on Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal's wildly popular course "The Science of Willpower," The Willpower Instinct is the first book to explain the science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve our health, happiness, and productivity.

    Informed by the latest research and combining cutting-edge insights from psychology, economics, neuroscience, and medicine, The Willpower Instinct explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and why it matters. For example, readers will learn:

       •  Willpower is a mind-body response, not a virtue. It is a biological function that can be improved through mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, and sleep.
       •  Willpower is not an unlimited resource. Too much self-control can actually be bad for your health.
       •  Temptation and stress hijack the brain's systems of self-control, but the brain can be trained for greater willpower
       •  Guilt and shame over your setbacks lead to giving in again, but self-forgiveness and self-compassion boost self-control.
       •  Giving up control is sometimes the only way to gain self-control.
       •  Willpower failures are contagious—you can catch the desire to overspend or overeat from your friends­­—but you can also catch self-control from the right role models.

    In the groundbreaking tradition of Getting Things Done, The Willpower Instinct combines life-changing prescriptive advice and complementary exercises to help readers with goals ranging from losing weight to more patient parenting, less procrastination, better health, and greater productivity at work.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Group
    Release dateDec 29, 2011
    ISBN9781101553732
    Unavailable
    The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
    Author

    Kelly McGonigal

    Kelly McGonigal, PhD, is an award-winning psychology instructor at Stanford University, as well as a health educator for the School of Medicine’s Health Improvement Program. Her psychology courses for professionals and the general public – including ‘The Science of Willpower’ and ‘Living Well With Stress’ – are among the most popular in the history of Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program. She is also the author of Psychology Today’s ‘Science of Willpower’ blog. Kelly lives in California.

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    Reviews for The Willpower Instinct

    4.5/5

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    • 5/5
      I had trouble finishing this book quickly, because I kept trying to stop and do the experiments. I got through it by reminding myself that I wasn't limited to just one bookmark, and could mark the experiment I was on and read ahead without missing anything. I will enjoy the re-read immensely, I think. Dr. McGonigal teaches a course at Stanford University called "The Science of Willpower", and if the class is half as engaging as this book, collecting the subject matter and lessons for a wider audience, her students are very lucky indeed. Presented in explanatory sections (I particularly liked the chapter that delved into the roll of dopamine in the processes of the brain), case studies of people putting the lessons to use, and practical exercises for the reader to try, the format created a recurring rhythm that encourages reader participation. McGonigal has a very engaging, conversational tone throughout the book, which only enhances the inviting nature of the content.The content itself is very helpful, providing an overview of the human brain, and reasons why our brains seem to be doing things that we don't quite approve of. She provides known "traps" for willpower, the ways that both our species inheritance and our modern (United States) world works for and against our willpower. Then she provides ways for us to work with those factors toward our reasoned goals and around our short-term impulses.As a habitual procrastinator, I found the whole work very enlightening.
    • 5/5
      This book is one that really takes the reader into the class room--it is a well written book by Kelly, one that has guided me to thinking about the effects of willpower--not only did I think about the cause and effect game, but I am now better educated on the topic of "willpower"--she did her research and it is displayed well in the content of the book--through her examples, I was able to apply those to real life situations--t.v., radio, the store, work and so on--she hightened my awareness on why we do things and why we don't do things daily--great read for those willing to fight a crave, or an addiction--or why do people do what they do.
    • 4/5
      One of the most useful lessons is that willpower is like a muscle and can get worn out. This has changed my entire perspective when planning how to get things done, especially when I know they'll take a great deal of willpower. It's comforting in a sense to know that instead of just being lazy, it's possible I've been overtaxing my willpower at times. This book provides clear ways to slowly work on increasing one's willpower without overwhelming it, as one would do in a physical training regimen.Another element of the book I found quite useful is the chapter summary with willpower experiments and "under the microscope" sections that encourage you to pay attention to a specific behavior to become aware of it. It also makes it much easier to refer back to a chapter and get a quick refresher without having to reread the whole thing (especially if my willpower is plum tuckered out :))For anyone who could use more willpower, this book is worth the read.
    • 5/5
      Self-help books are a common genre, often with a focus on a particular behavior you'd like to change from its current state. Sometimes they are practical, often, however, they fail to address all of the root causes for your current situation, and change attempt fails. Once in a great while, however, there is a versatile book that teaches readers how to recognize all barriers to progress, and offers solutions to overcome them. Kelly McGonigal's The Willpower Instinct is one of these books.Willpower is what we call the conflict between our current behavior and our desired outcome. It is the power to not light a cigarette or eat a piece of chocolate or have another drink. But it is a complex issue, and dealing with willpower by itself on a clinical level gives additional understanding why we sometimes succeed but often fail when change is left to this finicky force of our nature.Early in the book, the biggest revelation to me (but one that made a lot of sense once I thought about it) was that willpower is a finite resource, like strength or stamina, and can be exhausted throughout the course of the day. This explains why, if working late, it is difficult to say no to quick and easy fast-food when earlier in the day you promised yourself you'd have a sensible dinner. Personally, if I'm working late, I'll almost always have a pizza, and not even consider the consequences. Launching from this premise, McGonigal takes us through a series of analysis and exercises structured to either remove the responsibility of willpower to manage critical activities, or to increase the size and strength of our willpower reserve, just as an endurance athlete stretches their capacity to go further and faster (an analogy I can identify with). I look forward to testing some of these methods to change my diet (not go on, or follow a "diet", as McGonigal also explains why most are counter-productive) going into the next training season. If I remember to do so, I'll update this review with additional feedback.
    • 4/5
      The Willpower Instinct is a delight not only for what it teaches, but how it teaches. Dr. McGonigal has a wonderful sense of humor and inserts little jokes throughout the text, making for what might otherwise be an exhausting read quite pleasant. The methods taught in the book are both straightforward and realistic. (These types of books often fail by demanding far too much for persons already suffering from a willpower deficit.) Each chapter asks the reader to do some small homework assignment after explaining the importance and meaning of said assignment. The result is a change in the way the reader thinks about life and goals and shortcomings and achievement. My suspicion is that the lessons of The Willpower Instinct will amplify for the reader over time. This is a remarkable book.
    • 5/5
      You know it's a good book when you've been reading it for four days and you're only to page 70, mostly because everyday you have to call someone you know and say, "Oh my gosh... you have to read this." There is so much to know about how your brain works and what can be done to make things go the way you want them to. There are things you really should know about will power that affect dieting, sleeping, shopping, behavior, moral licensing, self control, breaking habits and more. And I'm barely half-way through the book! I am anxiously awaiting the publication of this book in January so my children and husband can get their copies. So many health issues are addressed and this really is a new way of dealing with them. Get a copy and read. You'll be glad you did.
    • 5/5
      'The Willpower Instinct' combines the braininess of a Malcolm Gladwell bestseller with the easy access and actual helpfulness of an "Idiots' Guide" to not being lazy.In each chapter, Dr. McGonigal outlines psychological pathologies and inherent biases that we are consciously unaware of and thus prey to through psychology experiments and case studies she's gathered through teaching her course, 'The Science of Willpower', at Stanford University. But unlike Malcolm Gladwell, she doesn't stop with a wry observation and explanation - each chapter ends with actionable strategies for dealing with the tendencies highlighted. This reviewer generally abhors self-help books as offering little more than "just do it" nike-isms designed to prey on feelings of helplessness and those looking for reassurance from a damaged ego in the mire of a pity party. This book is different. She presents cutting edge scientific and psychological research in an incredibly accessible plain english (as an attorney in training, I can attest to both the value and difficulty of this) and backs it up with strategies that work.
    • 5/5
      Free LibraryThing Early Reviewer book. This was a really good combination of popular science and self-help, tilted towards the self-help with a list of bullet points/exercises at the end of each chapter. It offered very interesting strategies for dealing with willpower challenges, and though I haven’t conquered procrastination, I’m trying to do better with various tactics suggested by the book, which range from focusing on your breathing to giving yourself permission to feel what you feel to commiting yourself to behave tomorrow the way you’re behaving today—which takes away your excuse, which will never really come true, that tomorrow you’ll be a better person and so you’re licensed to avoid your long-term goals today. Recommended. (Many points in the book are also to be found somewhere on her blog, The Science of Willpower.)
    • 4/5
      Good Book. A little slow reading, took me quite some time to get through it but it was worth my time. I am going to try some of the examples and see if they work.
    • 4/5
      This is a good blend of physiology and practical exercises that illuminate human willpower.  Lab studies are interspersed with examples from the author's experience teaching a course on the subject.The internal mechanisms of the brain are laid out in manageable chunks for the casual reader, and there are some connections that may not be immediately obvious.  Willpower can be thought of as a muscle, for instance,  that can be overtaxed on one issue such that there isn't strength left for the next challenge.  The role of dopamine in exciting anticipation rather than the pleasure of fulfillment is another tidbit for mere mortals to absorb.Everyone  could use a little more willpower.    While the lab study results on rats and college kids can get a little tedious, the techniqes for improvement and insight into brain functions to understand why the  exercises may work makes this a worthwhile read.
    • 5/5
      Whenever we are lead into temptation, willpower is tested in a struggle between immediate indulgence and our long term goals. Too often our long term goals lose out as we eat too much, drink too much, smoke, waste time, and shop ‘till we drop. Now our resolve can be bolstered by the well researched and very practical techniques provided in this new book. Stanford Professor Kelly McGonigal has adapted her very popular course “The Science of Willpower” into this witty, readable, and helpful book. She consistently creates a bridge between reliable scientific research and practical applications in ten chapters each dedicated to one powerful idea about willpower. These ideas include:+ The I will, I won’t, and I want manifestations of desire,+ The willpower instinct to pause and plan that emerges when we are relaxed and mindful,+ Analogies between willpower, muscles, exercise, and exhaustion,+ Distinctions between moral worth and short-lived temptations,+ Relentlessly chasing the satisfaction we crave rarely increases happiness,+ Feeling bad, often as a result of a minor failure, increases stress and shifts our brains into a reward-seeking state,+ Our inaccurate concept of the future distorts our thinking about distant rewards and efforts,+ Social norms and pressures greatly influence our self-control,+ Ironic rebound makes us makes us more likely to think, feel, or do the thing we most want to avoid.As each of these ideas is explored our many misconceptions about willpower are examined closely and dispelled. Throughout the book we are invited to try many “willpower experiments” that provide new approaches to choosing our long-term goals over a momentary indulgence.
    • 5/5
      While Kelly McGonigal's subject matter doesn't have the kinetic appeal of the MythBusters, her ability to explain common misconceptions about the psychology of self-control and willpower would make her feel right at home with Adam and Jamie. In this very readable book, McGonigal takes the reader through the science behind willpower and various experiments that help illuminate human strengths and weaknesses. There is a bit of overlap with other recent books, but these instances were brief and limited. And also strongly overwhelmed by the number of times that McGonigal brought fresh insights to her subject matter.McGonigal recommends reading the book over 10 weeks (a chapter per week) to allow the material to be put into practice gradually, to be formed into habits. Be forewarned... your willpower will likely not support this. I was learning too much to put it down. Perhaps, the RE-reading can be accomplished in this fashion.I received a copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Everything you thought you knew about will power, how you make decisions, and the best ways to keep your resolutions is wrong. At least that is what it feels like after reading this book. McGonigal goes over research on will power and reveals the various traps we put ourselves in and why we find it so hard to keep certain goals and break certain habits.Each chapter outlines an area of research and gives several ideas on how to gain a better understanding about your own particular weaknesses and how to overcome them. This is not a typical "self help" book that promises you success if you follow a certain plan. Instead, McGonigal offers suggestions on how to face our inevitable failures and how to make it more likely that we will meet with success.The book is entertaining and easy to read. If there is a weakness, it is that McGonigal sometimes tries too hard to be humorous. There are notes in the back of the book that cite the research she employes, but sometimes it isn't easy to tell what research goes with which anecdote. These are minor caveats, though, to a very interesting book.

      1 person found this helpful