Feel better and get more done by mastering the power of willpower
Maximum Willpower
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Book Description
Willpower - the ability to control your attention, emotions, appetites and behaviour - influences your physical health, financial security, the quality of your relationships and your professional success. We all know this. But why is it so hard to control and why, sometimes, do we have so little of it? Maximum Willpower brings together the newest insights about self-control from psychology, economics, neuroscience and medicine, explaining how we can break old habits and create healthy habits, conquer procrastination and manage stress and emotions. Discover why we give in to temptation and how we can find the strength to resist. By understanding the limits of willpower you can prioritize goals, make conscious choices, change old habits and give up the pursuit of perfection. This book focuses on strategies that can help you transcend limitations, strengthen self-control and escape the grip of chronic stress and procrastination. Whether you are trying to break a habit, improve your health, or find your focus, this book will change the way you think about willpower and help you make real and lasting changes in your life.
About the Author
Kelly McGonigal, PhD, is an award-winning psychology instructor at Stanford University. As a health educator for the School of Medicine's Health Improvement Program and co-founder of the Stanford Women’s Wellness Network, she has helped thousands of people make healthy choices and manage stress. More information about her and her work is available at www.kellymcgonigal.com.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By D&D
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Formerly called "The Willpower Instinct", in this book McGonigal brings together the newest insights about self-control from psychology, economics, neuroscience and medicine to build willpower. She is a health psychologist at Stanford School of Medicine where she teaches a course called "The Science of Willpower" that quickly became the most popular classes ever offered by Stanford. Course evaluations call the course "life-changing".
The book's 10 chapters reflect her 10-week course, written in an interesting and easy style, without any "academic pompousness":
1. effective willpower - just noticing what's happening is key
2. the willpower instinct - anything that puts a stress on your mind or body can sabotage self-control but too much willpower is stressful
3. self-control is like a muscle - it gets tired from use but regular exercise makes it stronger
4. why being good encourages bad behaviour - we use past good behaviour to justify indulgences
5. why we mistake wanting for happiness - even false promises of reward make us feel alert and captivated, so we chase satisfaction from things that don't deliver
6. how feeling bad leads to giving in - self-compassion is a far better strategy than beating ourselves up
7. we discount both future rewards and future costs - we consistently act against our own long-term interests and we illogically believe our future selves will (magically) have more willpower
8. why willpower is contagious - humans are hardwired to connect and we mimic and mirror both willpower failures and willpower successes of our social network
9. inner acceptance improves outer control - attempts to fight instincts and desires ironically make them worse
10. final thoughts - the aha moment
Each chapter makes use of fascinating paradoxes to dispell common misconceptions about self-control. While I preferred the deeper "Willpower" by Tierney and Baumeister (who has studied contradictory human behaviour for decades), this book is way ahead of any others I've read on the subject, for its wide range of down-to-earth and practical strategies for greater success.
The book's 10 chapters reflect her 10-week course, written in an interesting and easy style, without any "academic pompousness":
1. effective willpower - just noticing what's happening is key
2. the willpower instinct - anything that puts a stress on your mind or body can sabotage self-control but too much willpower is stressful
3. self-control is like a muscle - it gets tired from use but regular exercise makes it stronger
4. why being good encourages bad behaviour - we use past good behaviour to justify indulgences
5. why we mistake wanting for happiness - even false promises of reward make us feel alert and captivated, so we chase satisfaction from things that don't deliver
6. how feeling bad leads to giving in - self-compassion is a far better strategy than beating ourselves up
7. we discount both future rewards and future costs - we consistently act against our own long-term interests and we illogically believe our future selves will (magically) have more willpower
8. why willpower is contagious - humans are hardwired to connect and we mimic and mirror both willpower failures and willpower successes of our social network
9. inner acceptance improves outer control - attempts to fight instincts and desires ironically make them worse
10. final thoughts - the aha moment
Each chapter makes use of fascinating paradoxes to dispell common misconceptions about self-control. While I preferred the deeper "Willpower" by Tierney and Baumeister (who has studied contradictory human behaviour for decades), this book is way ahead of any others I've read on the subject, for its wide range of down-to-earth and practical strategies for greater success.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Kazzasother1
Format:Paperback
I bought this as I wanted to have more willpower when it came to food. I found the book very enlightening and it has helped me understand better why I lack willpower! It has given me a few strategies to improve my willpower and as a result I have resisted some temptations and lost weight. What I have found more surprising is that it has affected other areas of my life in that I am not procrastinating as much; I've tidied out my garage, cleaned my kitchen cupboards and sorted out my wardrobe. I'm certainly pleased I bought this book and strongly recommend it. I would have given it 5 stars but found it a bit long winded in parts.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Never before have I really been aware of the physiological basis of how stress can affect willpower. This book is extremely liberating, realising that you can actually change your physiology to a state where willpower is more accessible is empowering. This book should be ready by every GP, health care professional and those caring for 'troubled' children, in fact everybody! It wont be the answer to everyones troubles, but it may help them get their physiology ready to receive other help.
The only thing not so good about it is its title, it doesn't show just how full of help the contents are!
READ IT! Worth every penny!!
The only thing not so good about it is its title, it doesn't show just how full of help the contents are!
READ IT! Worth every penny!!
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4.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
I have read this book 4 times, and found it has help me improve my will power big time, i have read a few book like this before and they have been useless, This lady really know... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Peter
5.0 out of 5 stars
Explaining willpower
This is more than just another boring self help book despite the corny title and cover.Even if you are not going to do any of the exercises the text contains a fascinating mine of... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dr. P. Cramer
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating research backed book
This is the same book as Willpower Instinct but apparently UK publisher opted for a cheesy title that will sells. Read more
Published 4 months ago by michalu
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent!
So glad I bought this. I'm only halfway through but already I've learned lots of good strategies for improving my willpower (or, more accurately, to avoid having to do the right... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Rogue Eyebrow
5.0 out of 5 stars
I've given copies to friends
This book is so clear and helpful that I have sent copies as gifts to friends with problems from self-esteem to dieting, as well as simple stress. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Joe Conrad
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding
I have read various books on improving willpower, and this one is truly outstanding! For me personally, the best part is that she focuses on small changes that make a big... Read more
Published 14 months ago by New Thought
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very different
This person has a very different approach to 'will power' - it's not just beating yourself up for being weak but using gentle, seemingly unrelated exercises that do seem to help. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Eleni
4.0 out of 5 stars
So far so good
I would have liked to know that it recommends meditation on the breath.I value meditation but with the scientific explanations of the effect on the prefrontal cortex found it more... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Mrs. Isabelle Prentice
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