The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal

juggling improves visual perception of motion, memory games strengthens memory). Brain is like a muscle and will improve in certain areas with practice (e.g. I want Kelly to get more money so I'm hiding this review, but below are my notes as I went along: I had so many 'omg that's me' moments I thought she was my biographer. I don't know if the author 'cured' me, but she certainly made an entertaining and outstanding attempt. Perhaps this book spoke to me so directly and deeply because I consider lack of willpower my single biggest flaw, or at least the one that I feel most guilty about. 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 a healthier life to more patient parenting, from greater productivity at work to finally finishing the basement. Temptation and stress hijack the brain's systems of self-control, and that the brain can be trained for greater willpower. Too much self-control can actually be bad for your health. People who have better control of their attention, emotions, and actions are healthier, happier, have more satisfying relationships, and make more money. It is a biological function that can be improved through mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, and sleep.

Willpower is a mind-body response, not a virtue. Informed by the latest research and combining cutting-edge insights from psychology, economics, neuroscience, and medicine, McGonigal's book explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and why it matters. The course was an instant hit and spawned the hugely successful Psychology Today blog with the same name. Committed to sharing what the scientific community already knew about self-control, McGonigal created a course called 'The Science of Willpower' for Stanford University's Continuing Studies Program. The first book to explain the new science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve our health, happiness, and productivity.Īfter years of watching her students struggling with their choices, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., realized that much of what people believe about willpower is actually sabotaging their success.

The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal