The willpower instinct - Kelly McGonigal

After years of watching her students struggling with their choices,
health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., realized that much of what
people believe about willpower is actually sabotaging their success.
Committed to sharing what the scientific community already knew about
self-control, McGonigal created a course called "The Science of
Willpower" for Stanford University's Continuing Studies Program. The
course was an instant hit and spawned the hugely successful
Psychology Today blog with the same name.

Informed by the latest research and combining cutting-edge insights
from psychology, economics, neuroscience, and medicine, McGonigal's
book explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and why it
matters. Readers will learn:

• Willpower is a mind-body response, not a virtue. It is a biological
  function that can be improved through mindfulness, exercise, nutrition,
  and sleep.


• People who have better control of their attention, emotions, and
  actions are healthier, happier, have more satisfying relationships, and
  make more money.


• Willpower is not an unlimited resource. Too much self-control can
  actually be bad for your health.


• Temptation and stress hijack the brain's systems of self-control, and
  that the brain can be trained for greater willpower.
  

  
  

  In the groundbreaking tradition of Getting Things Done, The
  Willpower Instinct combines life-changing prescriptive advice and
  complementary exercises to help readers with goals ranging from a
  healthier life to more patient parenting, from greater productivity at
  work to finally finishing the basement.