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Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength Paperback – August 28, 2012
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"Deep and provocative analysis of people's battle with temptation and masterful insights into understanding willpower: why we have it, why we don't, and how to build it. A terrific read." —Ravi Dhar, Yale School of Management, Director of Center for Customer Insights
Pioneering research psychologist Roy F. Baumeister collaborates with New York Times science writer John Tierney to revolutionize our understanding of the most coveted human virtue: self-control. Drawing on cutting-edge research and the wisdom of real-life experts, Willpower shares lessons on how to focus our strength, resist temptation, and redirect our lives. It shows readers how to be realistic when setting goals, monitor their progress, and how to keep faith when they falter. By blending practical wisdom with the best of recent research science, Willpower makes it clear that whatever we seek—from happiness to good health to financial security—we won’t reach our goals without first learning to harness self-control.
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"The psychologist Roy F. Baumeister has shown that the force metaphor has a kernel of neurobiological reality. In Willpower, he has teamed up with the irreverent New York Timesscience columnist John Tierney to explain this ingenious research and show how it can enhance our lives. . . . Willpower is an immensely rewarding book, filled with ingenious research, wise advice and insightful reflections on the human condition." —Steven Pinker, The New York Times Book Review
"An accessible, empirically grounded guide to willpower and how best to deploy it to overcome temptation." —The Wall Street Journal
"Willpower is sure to inspire further groundbreaking research into the mechanics of willpower. One implication is already apparent. Since repeated behaviors eventually turn into habits, improving willpower long term requires a unique strategy-a habit of changing habits, of continually expanding our zones of comfort. One such practice, it seems, is the 'routine' of learning. That's a habit that this brilliant book will certainly nourish." —The Daily Beast
"Baumeister and Tierney use their appealingly upbeat voice to explain the intricate call-and-response between the failure of self-control and its problematical results." —Kirkus Reviews
"Willpower affects almost every aspect of our lives. From procrastination, to saving for retirement to exercising, Tierney and Baumeister have given us a wonderful book in which they not only share fascinating research on the subject but also provide simple tricks to help us tap into this important quality." —Dan Ariely, Duke University, author of Predictably Irrational
"Willpower is sinfully delicious—once you start reading, you won't be able to stop. A fascinating account of the exciting new science of self-control, told by the scientist who made it happen and the journalist who made it news." —Daniel Gilbert, Harvard University, author of Stumbling on Happiness
"Who knew that a book about such a daunting topic could be as wonderfully entertaining as it is enlightening! Tierney and Baumeister have produced a highly intelligent work full of fascinating information (and great advice) about a core element of modern living. Bravo." —David Allen, author of Getting Things Done and Making It Work
"Willpower (the thing) lies at the curious intersection of science and behavior. Willpower (the book) lies at the intersection of Roy Baumeister, an extraordinarily creative scientist, and John Tierney, a phenomenally perceptive journalist. Ignore it at your peril." —Stephen J. Dubner, coauthor of Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics
"Will, willpower, and mental energy have been shunned by modern psychology. Roy Baumeister, the most distinguished experimental social psychologist in the world, and John Tierney, a renowned journalist, have teamed up to put Will back into its rightful center stage place. This little masterpiece is a must read for all of us who want to exercise, diet, manage our time, be thrifty, and resist temptation." —Martin Seligman, former president of American Psychological Association
"This is a manual from heaven for anyone who has ever wanted to lose weight, stop smoking, drink less, work more efficiently and more intelligently. An astonishingly good - and accessible - inquiry into one of the more elusive areas of human psychology: why we go on thwarting ourselves when we really know better. On top of that, Willpower is a vastly entertaining book, full of fascinating stories about the complexities of our evolutionarily-wired brains. A brilliant accomplishment, at every level." —Christopher Buckley, author of Thank You for Smoking
"Deep and provocative analysis of people's battle with temptation and masterful insights into understanding willpower: why we have it, why we don't, and how to build it. A terrific read." —Ravi Dhar, Yale School of Management, Director of Center for Customer Insights
About the Author
JOHN TIERNEY writes the “Findings” science column for the New York Times. His writing has won awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Physics. This is his third book.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPenguin Books
- Publication dateAugust 28, 2012
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.82 x 8.44 inches
- ISBN-100143122231
- ISBN-13978-0143122234
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- Publisher : Penguin Books; Reprint edition (August 28, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0143122231
- ISBN-13 : 978-0143122234
- Item Weight : 9.3 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.82 x 8.44 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #90,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,800 in Success Self-Help
- #2,120 in Motivational Self-Help (Books)
- #2,433 in Personal Transformation Self-Help
- Customer Reviews:
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About the authors

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JOHN TIERNEY John Tierney is a journalist and bestselling author. He’s a contributing editor to City Journal, a contributing science columnist to the New York Times, and has written for dozens of magazines and newspapers. His reporting has taken him to all seven continents, and his books have been translated into more than 20 languages.
His latest book, co-authored with the social psychologist Roy Baumeister, is "The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It." It has been praised by P.J. O’Rourke as “the best bad news ever,” and described by Martin Seligman, the eminent psychologist, as “the most important book at the borderland of psychology and politics that I have ever read.”
He and Baumeister previously co-wrote New York Times best-seller, "Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength." The psychologist Steven Pinker, writing in the New York Times Book Review, called it “an immensely rewarding book, filled with ingenious research, wise advice and insightful reflections on the human condition.”
During more than two decades at the New York Times, he was a science columnist, an Op-Ed columnist and a staff writer for the Times Magazine. He wrote about New York in a column, “The Big City,” which ran in the Times Magazine and in the Metro section.
John’s books include what he calls an “alleged work of humor,” "The Best-Case Scenario Handbook," which explains, among other things, how to deal with a broken ATM spewing cash and how to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. He is also the co-author, with Christopher Buckley, of a novel parodying self-help books: "God Is My Broker: A Monk Tycoon Reveals the 7 ½ Laws of Spiritual and Financial Growth."
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However this had fabulous parenting advice. I’d never thought of willpower as a muscle to be exercised and built, but this book has convinced me otherwise.
What you can take as gospel, after reading this book, is that you have a "muscle" which acts as your mechanism of self-control, will-power, AND decision-making. Like any muscle, it will collapse when too much strain is placed upon it --- therefore you should not decide to quit smoking, quit drinking, take up a vigorous new exercise regime, and lose a hundred pounds on the same day. Make reasonable plans, monitor yourself, and -- when you reach "ego depletion," for God's sake STOP making decisions. Grab a bite and take a nap; replace your glucose so you are ready for the next challenge.
I was delighted to see the idiotic "self-esteem" movement receive the final nails in its coffin, and a decent burial. We Americans don't need unearned self-esteem: we very much need self-control (or, as Theodore Dalrymple would put it, "self-respect.") There may not be much difference. A teenage girl in Britain who gets horribly drunk on the weekend and passes out on the street after soiling herself is obviously lacking in self-control AND self-respect.
A surprise boost is given to religion, and to religious practices. After all, most religions give us a pretty thorough training in required exercises, and those are the things that strengthen our "muscle" of will-power and self-control.
More amazing, and inexplicable, is the experience of people like Eric Clapton, a notorious boozer right up until the moment when he collapsed, gave up, and "surrendered." Quite amazingly, he rose from the floor knowing he would never drink again. This may be similar to the experience of George W. Bush, who simply reports, "I haven't had a drink since 1986." Psychologists have no explanation of the experiences of those who "surrender" to a higher power, but churchmen think they do.
This book is tough to summarize: I recommend that you get it and put it in your library. You may find yourself consulting it frequently.
qualities that predict "positive outcomes" in our lives are intelligence and self-control. Two, researchers have
concluded that we spend a quarter of our waking hours resisting desires. This book is meant to improve the first
(self-control) while making the second (resisting desires) easier. They achieve their aim with the use of solid research,
effective story telling and varied examples to drive their points home.
After an early examination of the sense of willpower through time, the authors use interesting studies like the
"marshmallow" and "radish" experiments to show how researchers have attempted to prove brilliant theories that help
us understand where willpower comes from and how to improve it.
They give good, quick advice in recommending that we focus on one project at a time for the simple reason that our
willpower can only go so far and it is better to give all our focus on changing one thing than a multitude. Hence,
their specific instructions to never make New Years Resolutions.
Showing the best ways to increase willpower - proper diet, setting clear goals and monitoring behavior - the authors
give vivid examples as varied as Drew Carey getting organized, Eric Clapton getting dry or Lord Stanley shaving
every day to make it out of Africa to show the different tools we can all use to increase our willpower.
They go on to show how making multiple decisions affects our willpower (why do they put the sweets near the checkout line?)
to willpower workouts and Bright Lines and other tricks to strengthen our willpower muscle.
Raising children & dieting chapters end the book and give further stories and research into bringing willpower to bear
on these most important subject areas.
In sum, "Willpower" is chock full of valuable advice based on scientific research and actionable material that the
average reader will surely find useful in some area of their life they are trying to improve through the application
of willpower. A definite must read.
Top reviews from other countries
Abordagem aprofundada desta função tão primordial da nossa Mente consciente. Recomendo após ler este livro a leitura do Desbloqueie o Poder sua mente do Michael Arruda.
- I believe whatever strategies discussed by writer is doable and effective. No need to struggle with self Control anymore.
- I recommend this book to every person who are working or struggling with self control or lack of willpower.
My personal experience- Even I'm unable to believe that I have completed this book upto last page. Usually what happens with me is during initial stage of reading I got motivated and dedicated but eventually losing focus and interest which caused I switch another one. Through this book i have broken the pattern.
My all thanks to Baumeister and John Tierney who have shared this precious content with us.







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