Willpower: Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength

This book had some good examples and memorable stories that demonstrated the points he was trying to make, however I would have liked more practical exercises to use with students or clients on how to improve their willpower and self control.

After watching a video of these two discussing their collaboration on the book here: [...], I was disappointed in the book itself. Seemed like the detailed and prolonged discussion of Baumeister and other's research projects often seemed only vaguely related to the topic of will power and was more like fluff for Tierney to fill out the volume. Found myself skipping through a lot of it to get to the salient points. Book could have/should have been edited down to make it more concise and interesting. More like the YouTube video!

This is a popular psychology book with a firm foundation. It is not a book to tell you what to do, but it shows you what has worked with large numbers of folks. It does this by providing empirical data in an easy to read format. Worth reading.

Authors managed to sum up current state of science of willpower in an informative and entertaining way. Structure of this journey into realm of willpower is well thought out and full of ready-to-implement hacks that will improve your life.
Definitely one of the must-read titles for those who are sick of anecdotal mumbo-jumbo in majority of self-help books.

A very interesting exploration of the research on willpower, but short on the practical advice. As I neared the end of the book I worried there would be no practical advice at all, but they finally got around to it in the final chapter. But they didn't organize that chapter very well, and didn't boil it down to the handful of most-impactful things you can do to improve your life by wrangling "willpower".

The authors occasionally spoke with authority on subjects where they are not authoritative. They were intending to provide anecdotal examples but if you know enough about those subjects to see through the façade then the spell is broken. This isn't terribly unique in the world of pop science books but it stood out to me a few times.

If you enjoy developing your willpower, pushing to the limits, this shows the back office of how your brain works, very well written and based on medical, clinical research. Good fuel to keep developing your brain! Full of excellent advice!

This book is very informative and interesting. It kept me entertained during my long commute to work. I will however like to comment on the quality of the discs. There isn't a single scratch or imperfection on the disc itself but there is random skipping throughout the entire collection of discs. While it's a minor detail that can be lived with I felt it should be mentioned here.

Lately I have had the pleasure of reading some books that have had quite the profound effect on my life. This book is the latest in that line. Not only was the information it presented wonderful and important, the way they deliver the information is almost just as important. They manage to provide evidence for their arguments with well designed studies and experiments yet avoid losing the reader in the data. They feature insight from "willpower superstars" which is quite helpful and I imagine hard and expensive to come by. All in all, this is a great book and everyone should read it. Who couldn't benefit from better willpower and self-control?

Excellent introduction to the topic of Willpower. I was able to understand some of my more annoying behaviors after reading this book. It also has a number of suggestions on how to use what willpower you have. This is not just a self help or business book but based in science.

4 of 5 stars. I would have liked a bit more on building and strengthening willpower.

For everyone who is interested in increasing their willpower or resisting temptation, this is the book to read! Having read a lot of the scientific work that this book is based on, I can say that this book is scientifically grounded. It is also easy to read and has many useful tips on how you can increase your willpower or resist temptations

The book is the compilation of different researched for self-regulation and will-power related topics written in a nice manner.
Most of this is considered as "common sense" but still is really valuable to have a PROOF of it. I've really enjoined both the reading and "I've knew it!" thought while reading.

This is a typical self-improvement book, perhaps a little better than most. The authors essentially conclude that to exert willpower your brain requires energy -- glucose -- like other muscles and that willpower is limited in its endurance -- again, like other muscles. They back up this and other findings with reviews of psychological research. The book is well-written, with more than a few flashes of wit and dazzle, and the authors entertain and inform us with the trials and tribulations of the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Eric Clapton, Mary Karr and others as they wrestle with various demons such as alcoholism and obesity. They talk about the role of religion in will-power, of procrastination, of time management and many other topics. And at the end, the authors give us some hints on how to exert willpower. But the book often rambles and often strays from the main subject. One gets the feeling that willpower is an elusive subject. But there are lessons to be learned and tips to be shared -- just like in most other self-help books. I enjoyed it, but it probably won't change my life.

I've read many research articles by Baumeister and colleagues on ego depletion/self-control/willpower, and this is a nice way to deconstruct some of that language on empirical findings into practical application.

I'm a mental health counseling intern and I prefer to read books with research to back up their claims. This book leaves no holes for debate. It is an easy read (for me I guess) I read it leisurely over two days and finished it. I really didn't want to put it down. They give great examples and though there is tons of research it is put as simply as possible. This is great for students and laymen alike.

This book is very interesting if you are curious about the science and research behind willpower. The author backs up all his major claims by experimental data. The portions about experiments are dispersed between interesting portions about personal stories of famous individuals such as Drew Cary and David Copperfield. After finishing this book, I found myself getting a better grasp of my own behavior and those of the people around me.

For instance, one of the main topics covered in the book is how your willpower gets drained as you make decisions and resist temptation throughout the day. The situation is made worse if you haven't eaten for a few hours and your glucose levels are low. Knowing this, I was able to view my traffic-filled commute home in a different light. What's part of the reason why people are so angry while stuck in traffic? Well, they have been making decisions throughout the whole workday and now their willpower is drained. Furthermore, they most likely have not had dinner yet and their glucose levels are low, which is the fuel your brain uses to exercise willpower and restraint. Now, when I view all these angry drivers yelling and honking or giving rude stares, I don't blame them anymore. I understand that the reason they are behaving like this is perhaps out of their conscious control. This understanding allows me to be more peaceful and realize that there are many factors outside my control and other people can sometimes not even consciously control their behavior.

The above is just one example of how I have applied this book into my daily life. Reading books such as this allows you to view reality in a richer and more diverse perspective. I highly recommend Willpower if you are curious about understanding yourself and other people a bit better.

I purchased the audio and thankfully so because I never would have gone so far reading what Ive heard. up to the fourth CD you learn the typical eat healthy and frequent and sugar spikes help keep will up. basically its a CD based on case studies and the findings of controlled research. an interesting point it makes is that if you make many decisions throughout the day, it can deplete will power. If you're into experimental case findings than this is a good book but if you are looking for strategies and techniques and exercises to develop a stronger will, then I suggest you keep looking.

Will power: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength presents research in easily understandable language and format. However, presenting the research upfront then providing recommendations of strategies was not particularly effective. Also, the structure appeared to be, " Now here's some research that shows.... But that wasn't true when...." As the reader I found myself feeling as if I wasn't sure what would work when or if the findings could be generalized. If you are interested in learning strategies for increasing will power, Kelly McGonigal's book, The Willpower Instinct might be a better read.

I usually avoid self-help books because they have no basis in anything other than the author's opinions. THIS book is just the opposite. What you have here are the results of literally thousands of professional experiments, and that alone should make the "no-free-will" contingent squirm.

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.

This book includes some important ideas about how bad decisions are made with some workable ways we can avoid making those bad decisions. It also gives simple ways to increase our willpower. I know I am very glad that I read this book.

This was a great read. I expected a certain approach with lots of inspirational quips and jargon, but this book goes deep and thorough. From the history of human behavior to the impact of glucose on our mental psyche and self control this book provides a comprehensive view and approach to managing your willpower. Chapters can be read in any order, but I suggest you start at the beginning and settle back for a great education on how willpower operates.