In the introduction to this book, she promises to help you understand how human it is to struggle with temptation, procrastination, etc. The book definitely delivers on this promise. There were many examples where I felt like I was reading about myself. The science, especially the brain science, is exciting, explains so much, and makes you feel like less of an idiot for whatever bad habits you have. But unlike a lot of science books, this one provides practical advice and helpful strategies. Every chapter contains a number of willpower "experiments" that basically tell you exactly how to apply an idea to your own life. In this book you'll find many great suggestions for increasing your motivation, resisting temptation, sticking to your goals, overcoming setbacks, or whatever else you need willpower to do.
I've haven't had the book long enough to promise it will totally change your life, but I can see how a lot of the things the author recommends could be very helpful.
The other thing worth knowing is that it's a fun book to read, more than most self-help or science books. There aren't many science books that are actually entertaining. This book combines the science and humor brilliantly. If you get it, be sure to read the footnotes, where some of the funniest material and interesting gems are hidden.
A caveat: the book is based on a Stanford class called "The Science of Willpower" (which I haven't taken), so if you only want advice and aren't interested in psychology, the brain, etc., this might not be the book for you. But if you're at all interested in science, this is the absolute best kind of geeky self-help. Everything is grounded in science but the book doesn't leave you wondering what to do with it.
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 new 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.
