Take a photo of a barcode or cover
257 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
257 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
I would like to buy a copy of this book for everyone I know. This book addresses so much of human behavior beyond just dieting or shopping (two common willpower challenges) such as the compulsive checking of email and staying up late to mindlessly watch tv when you know you should go to bed. i love hearing about psychological/behavioral studies so I loved this book....it was full of studies! I found it fascinating.
I listened while driving to and from work so I wasn't able to do a lot of the recommended activities. I think it's a better idea to read this book as the author suggests, one chapter a week, putting into practice what you learned.
I listened while driving to and from work so I wasn't able to do a lot of the recommended activities. I think it's a better idea to read this book as the author suggests, one chapter a week, putting into practice what you learned.
Read this in hopes it would be more evidence based but unfortunately the writer gives very little info on the studies mentioned and comes to the conclusion that is convenient for the thesis of the book without going into details and the why. Correlation does not equal causation so without further info, sample sizes and more it makes every study mentioned virtually useless.
The book is nicely organized and each chapter has a concise summary at the end. I suspect this may be because it parallels the course that the author teaches on willpower. I appreciated that claims are based on very interesting research studies. I picked this up based on sleeps9hours review of Charles Duhigg's Power of Habit. The reviewer compared both and preferred McGonigals. But while the books overlap a little, McGonigal's goes into detail about many aspects of willpower and how to change habits using specific strategies (consistent with popular literature on habit change that I have seen).
I had so many ah-ha and read-aloud moments with this book, I couldn't begin to list them. Suffice to say, I would recommend this book for anyone and everyone who wants to gain a little perspective on their motivations and gain greater control. It's definitely one I am going to refer back to and reflect upon for years to come.
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
This is an excellent book for personal growth. I read a lot of personal growth books with a professional interest (I have a PhD in psychology). The Willpower Instinct is an excellent blend of science and recommendations for one own's life. I've already incorporated several of the willpower challenges and I've made improvements in reaching some goals I've had for a while now. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is looking to change their behavior.
This wasn’t one of the original self-help books I set out to read this year, but one that I randomly found on the library shelf while looking for another book and I’m glad I snagged it. In case you missed it, I’ve just wrapped up a 10 week project following this book’s program and you can check it out here. I’ve also linked to each of the individual posts at the end of this post.
The book started out slower than I thought it would, but as I followed her instructions and spread it out over the ten weeks, a week per chapter, I found that it was laid out perfectly. Even though I struggled with how slow the implementation of the first bit was, it seriously helped lay the foundations for the later chapters. McGonigal clearly knows her subject matter and set it up in a way to slowly build on every thing until you were ready to tackle the more philosophical/psychological aspects.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
The book started out slower than I thought it would, but as I followed her instructions and spread it out over the ten weeks, a week per chapter, I found that it was laid out perfectly. Even though I struggled with how slow the implementation of the first bit was, it seriously helped lay the foundations for the later chapters. McGonigal clearly knows her subject matter and set it up in a way to slowly build on every thing until you were ready to tackle the more philosophical/psychological aspects.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
I'm already remembering advice from within.
REREAD
Just as good and useful As I remembered. Borderline 5 stars.
REREAD
Just as good and useful As I remembered. Borderline 5 stars.
I loved this book. Chapter by chapter, it took on different things you can do to either give yourself more willpower, or more resistance. Grounded in the literature but very readable and approachable. I didn't necessarily make me accomplish my "I will" goal, but I certainly have been getting a lot more done lately....
I loved Dr McGonigal’s other books, and enjoyed this one although it wasn’t my favourite of hers. Part of why this wasn’t my favourite just comes down to the topic - I was so interested in her other topics and not as much in this one. I also don’t like to label foods as good or bad and this book had a lot of that. It makes sense because healthy eating is the classic willpower challenge, but still weirded me out.
Overall, thought the book was interesting and gave me more perspective on how my decisions may be influenced. I enjoyed reading it because I always felt primed for the day to be that much more mindful about my decisions.
One of my favourite takeaways was that when we make decisions, we need to recruit all versions of our self to come together for the best.
Overall, thought the book was interesting and gave me more perspective on how my decisions may be influenced. I enjoyed reading it because I always felt primed for the day to be that much more mindful about my decisions.
One of my favourite takeaways was that when we make decisions, we need to recruit all versions of our self to come together for the best.