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Willpower: Rediscovering The Greatest Human Strength (2011)

by Roy F. Baumeister(Favorite Author)

3.92 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1594203075 (ISBN13: 9781594203077)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Penguin Press HC, The

review 1: As with many nonfiction books I've read, I liked the introduction (mostly about the need for people to exert more willpower) better than the rest of the book (mostly about psychology experiments showing why this is so hard). The science in this book defines willpower as an actual power in the brain that needs to be fueled by food, that should not overworked by decision overload, and that is depleted by physical fatigue. Not too surprising, but a new way to look at it maybe. I thought that some of the conclusions they draw from their experiments are a little contrived to fit their hypotheses, but I did still learn some practical tips for parenting, dieting, prioritizing, and planning ahead.
review 2: It was good, it just wasn't what they could have made it. It ... morealmost exclusively focused on the bad or lack of willpower instead of focusing on how to harness willpower for the best. Every example was about quitting bad habits instead of creating new ones. Additionally, I fundamentally thought their theory on ego-depletion was flawed. There have been times where I have felt completely exhausted of decision making, but one simple sentence or idea from an outside source reverted my mindset and restarted my willpower. I kept waiting for them to address it but they never did. I guess there is still more to learn about willpower and self-control. Regardless, the book was good, it just wasn't what I was looking for. The advice was sound, albeit a little opaque until the final chapter where they listed the takeaways. I'm surprised by some of the quotes on the book, they made it seem like it was revolutionary, where it really was just a profile of willpower research in all its forms in psychology. less

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