Take a photo of a barcode or cover
258 reviews for:
The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
Kelly McGonigal
4.1 AVERAGE
258 reviews for:
The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
Kelly McGonigal
4.1 AVERAGE
Rather than actually do anything to improve my habits or willpower, i will read books about it and that counts, right? But seriously, this is the perfect complement to atomic habits and other books on habits out there but this gets much more into the science of our brain. Dopamine man!! It’s really wild! I’m listening to this book as I scroll Instagram as the book tells me how Instagram (social media in general) hooks you with the dopamine hit and keeps you coming back just like the rats that zapped themselves over and over again without ever gaining satisfaction. It’s wild. There are willpower challenges to do as well so it’s actionable in its advice. I’m going to buy it in hard copy so that I can tab it/use it because I really think that for me the science behind our willpower (or lack thereof) is so interesting and that we assign morality to it is also bizarre (eg: if I don’t Resist the candy bar It’s bc Im a bad person, when , in reality there are so . Many. Different. Factors that go into whether or not you’ll be able to resist). Super readable and interesting; highly recommend!
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.
If it's any indication of how much I loved this book and how much good information was included, I filled up 7 pages of notes while reading it. It was PACKED full of interesting studies on willpower & self-control, but the best part was how the author easily made connections with our everyday struggles with willpower & self-control, whether that means with weight loss, exercising, saving money, quitting an addiction, etc.
She also had a really easy writing style that I found super engaging and enjoyable (some of it was quite funny, too!).
It is insane how our mental processes work - and how they sometimes work against us - and I feel like I've learned so much about why I tend to flop at goals & challenges I set for myself, and how to set myself up for success the next time.
Once I process this book and work through all my notes, there WILL be a blog post about this. I learned so, so much and I really encourage anyone who wants to learn more about willpower (especially related to losing weight/healthy living) and how to gain more self-control.
She also had a really easy writing style that I found super engaging and enjoyable (some of it was quite funny, too!).
It is insane how our mental processes work - and how they sometimes work against us - and I feel like I've learned so much about why I tend to flop at goals & challenges I set for myself, and how to set myself up for success the next time.
Once I process this book and work through all my notes, there WILL be a blog post about this. I learned so, so much and I really encourage anyone who wants to learn more about willpower (especially related to losing weight/healthy living) and how to gain more self-control.
Pretty much the book you'd expect on the topic of willpower, mixing science and tips. Some things (meditation, yoga) I had heard before. Others (reading helps! Guilt doesn't!) were new.
A really practical and informative look at willpower - what it is and how it can be improved - by a Stanford psychologist. There is a depth of research and science that has gone into this book, which is to be lauded. At the same time, the author managed to make it fairly easy to read and actionable.
Willpower, according to McGonigal, is a muscle. As with any muscle, it gets stronger by training and being stressed. She also provides useful ways to identify when your willpower is being tested and how to overcome these tests.
Incidentally, I was reading this at the same time I was going through "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. There is a surprising overlap between the ideas there and what is talked about here. This makes sense as habits are closely linked to willpower. However, in some ways, this book seems to suggest that exercising willpower can (and maybe should) become a habit in itself.
Willpower, according to McGonigal, is a muscle. As with any muscle, it gets stronger by training and being stressed. She also provides useful ways to identify when your willpower is being tested and how to overcome these tests.
Incidentally, I was reading this at the same time I was going through "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. There is a surprising overlap between the ideas there and what is talked about here. This makes sense as habits are closely linked to willpower. However, in some ways, this book seems to suggest that exercising willpower can (and maybe should) become a habit in itself.
Can always tell a book is good when I am constantly telling others about parts of it or how something I read applies to their situation.
This book was very helpful and an easy read. Lots of different exercises to strengthen the willpower "muscle".
I listened to this book on Audible and when I finished it I immediately started listening to it again. And I bought the book. It's that good.
I believe in science. I believe in studies and results and experiments and this book is chock full of strategies that help you build willpower and I'm gonna eventually use them all. This book is structured in a 10 week course that was taught at Stanford so I will follow the 10 week template. Every year my core resolutions have basically been: Get Fit. Keep Fit. Write. Keep Writing. And every year I fail. This book has educated me on why I fail and Yay! it turns out that shame and self-flagellation are not willpower builders. So happy I get to give up on those! Please do yourself a favor and read this book.
I believe in science. I believe in studies and results and experiments and this book is chock full of strategies that help you build willpower and I'm gonna eventually use them all. This book is structured in a 10 week course that was taught at Stanford so I will follow the 10 week template. Every year my core resolutions have basically been: Get Fit. Keep Fit. Write. Keep Writing. And every year I fail. This book has educated me on why I fail and Yay! it turns out that shame and self-flagellation are not willpower builders. So happy I get to give up on those! Please do yourself a favor and read this book.
Chapters 1-5
I’ve been reading this book for a few days now and it’s as if this book and I found each other at the perfect time. I decided about a month ago that I was really tired of the fact that I never stick to an exercise regiment or clean up my house because of so many excuses. Work is usually the most up there for an excuse. In the past, I’ll get at least exercise going during the summer (I’m a high school teacher) but then September rolls around and that’s it. Well, this time I started a month ago with exercise regiment and now have seriously started cleaning out my house since work ended. This book has motivated me and made me understand why I gave up in the past. I’ve being doing so good that I thought I should give myself a day off and voila that was the day I read the chapter about how it’s counterproductive to consider working towards your goal as you being “good” and thinking you need a reward when you should still be focused on your primary goal(s). There shouldn’t be a morality question about being good and bad. So, I didn’t take a day off.
Overall
This was an excellent read for me. I've learned a lot about willpower and it was all told in a lighthearted tone that I enjoyed. I don't know if everyone will find this as helpful as I did as I go about meeting my long term goals but it certainly helped me. I'm a bit sad that I'm done with the book because it motivated me when I read it everyday. I had borrowed this from the library but will buy the book. If I feel like I'm starting to lose momentum, I'm going to refer to the strategies mentioned in this book about how to keep control of your willpower.
I’ve been reading this book for a few days now and it’s as if this book and I found each other at the perfect time. I decided about a month ago that I was really tired of the fact that I never stick to an exercise regiment or clean up my house because of so many excuses. Work is usually the most up there for an excuse. In the past, I’ll get at least exercise going during the summer (I’m a high school teacher) but then September rolls around and that’s it. Well, this time I started a month ago with exercise regiment and now have seriously started cleaning out my house since work ended. This book has motivated me and made me understand why I gave up in the past. I’ve being doing so good that I thought I should give myself a day off and voila that was the day I read the chapter about how it’s counterproductive to consider working towards your goal as you being “good” and thinking you need a reward when you should still be focused on your primary goal(s). There shouldn’t be a morality question about being good and bad. So, I didn’t take a day off.
Overall
This was an excellent read for me. I've learned a lot about willpower and it was all told in a lighthearted tone that I enjoyed. I don't know if everyone will find this as helpful as I did as I go about meeting my long term goals but it certainly helped me. I'm a bit sad that I'm done with the book because it motivated me when I read it everyday. I had borrowed this from the library but will buy the book. If I feel like I'm starting to lose momentum, I'm going to refer to the strategies mentioned in this book about how to keep control of your willpower.
informative
medium-paced