Mar 18, 2022
Psychologist Kelly McGonical explores what influences us to
procrastinate, why we fail to resist temptation, and teaches that
small interventions can have large, positive outcomes. Based on her
wildly popular course "The Science of Willpower," her book “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, McGonical
explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and why it
matters. Readers will learn that 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.
Guilt and shame over your setbacks can lead to giving in again, but
self-forgiveness and self-compassion can boost self-control - in
fact, giving up control is sometimes the only way to gain
self-control. Our 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.
“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.
Originally published in January of 2012.
Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.