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Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
Penguin Press
September 2011
On Sale: September 1, 2011
304 pages ISBN: 1594203075 EAN: 9781594203077 Kindle: B0052REQCY Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction
One of the world's most esteemed and influential
psychologists, Roy F. Baumeister, teams with New York Times
science writer John Tierney to reveal the secrets of
self-control and how to master it. In Willpower, the pioneering researcher Roy F. Baumeister
collaborates with renowned New York Times science writer
John Tierney to revolutionize our understanding of the most
coveted human virtue: self-control. In what became one of the most cited papers in social
science literature, Baumeister discovered that willpower
actually operates like a muscle: it can be strengthened with
practice and fatigued by overuse. Willpower is fueled by
glucose, and it can be bolstered simply by replenishing the
brain's store of fuel. That's why eating and sleeping- and
especially failing to do either of those-have such dramatic
effects on self-control (and why dieters have such a hard
time resisting temptation). Baumeister's latest research shows that we typically spend
four hours every day resisting temptation. No wonder people
around the world rank a lack of self-control as their
biggest weakness. Willpower looks to the lives of
entrepreneurs, parents, entertainers, and artists-including
David Blaine, Eric Clapton, and others-who have flourished
by improving their self-control. The lessons from their stories and psychologists'
experiments can help anyone. You learn not only how to build
willpower but also how to conserve it for crucial moments by
setting the right goals and using the best new techniques
for monitoring your progress. Once you master these
techniques and establish the right habits, willpower gets
easier: you'll need less conscious mental energy to avoid
temptation. That's neither magic nor empty self-help
sloganeering, but rather a solid path to a better life. Combining the best of modern social science with practical
wisdom, Baumeister and Tierney here share the definitive
compendium of modern lessons in willpower. As our society
has moved away from the virtues of thrift and self-denial,
it often feels helpless because we face more temptations
than ever. But we also have more knowledge and better tools
for taking control of our lives. However we define
happiness-a close- knit family, a satisfying career,
financial security-we won't reach it without mastering
self-control.
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