Review
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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')
[An] instant classic...[Willpower shows how]...recent research
can help people lead better lives - be better parents, stay
organized, and lose weight more wisely...[A] brilliant book
(Jamie Holmes Daily Beast)
An immensely rewarding book, filled with ingenious research, wise
advice and inful reflections on the human condition (Steven
Pinker New York Times Book Review)
An accessible, empirically grounded guide to willpower and how
best to deploy it to overcome temptation...Should one need a more
practical sales pitch for the importance of willpower, Messrs.
Baumeister and Tierney point to ... its over-riding importance
for academic, personal, career and financial success... Willpower
offers no shortage of helpful strategies to compensate for
weakness of will (Cordelia Fine Wall Street Journal)
Willpower affects almost every aspect of our lives...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 (Daniel Gilbert, Harvard University,
author of 'Stumbling On Happiness')
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 All Work')
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, University of Pennsylvania, former
president of American Psychological Association, author of
'Authentic Happiness and Flourish')
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
(Christopher Buckley, author 'Thank You for Smoking' and 'Losing
Mum and Pup')
Deep and provocative analysis of people's battle with temptation
and masterful ins 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
Ins)
About the Author
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Roy F Baumeister is one of the world's most prolific and
influential psychologists. He received his PhD from Princeton in
1978 and currently is Francis Eppes Eminent Scholar and head of
the psychology program at Florida State University. He has over
450 scientific publications, and this will be his 28th book.
John Tierney writes the Findings science column for the New York
Times. His science writing has won awards from the American
Association for the Advancement of Science and the American
Institute of Physics. He is the author of The Best-Case Scenario
Handbook and the co-author, with Christopher Buckley, of the
comic novel God Is My Broker. He is a frequent guest on US radio
and television.