WILLPOWER INSTINCT OUTLINE

Question 1

What are McGonigal’s 10 Willpower Strategies?

Answer 1

1. “I will, I won’t, I want.” Willpower is 3 powers.
2. The willpower instinct:my body was born to resist cheesecake. Willpower is a biological instinct, like stress, that evolved to help us protect ourselves from ourselves.
3. Too tired to resist. Self control is like a muscle. It gets tired from use, but regular exercise makes it stronger.
4. License to sin. Why being good gives me permission to be bad. When we turn willpower challenges into measures of moral worth, being good gives us permission to be bad. For better self control, forget virtue and focus on goals and values.
5. The brain’s big lie: why we mistake wanting for happiness. My brain on dopamine mistakes the promise of reward for a guarantee of happiness, so I chase satisfaction from things that do not deliver.
6. what the hell: how feeling bad leads to giving in. Feeling bad leads to giving in and dropping guilt makes me stronger
7. Putting the future on sale: the economics of instant gratification. My inability to clearly see the future leads me into temptation and procrastination.
8. Infected. Why willpower is contagious. Self control is influenced by social proof, making both willpower and temptation contagious.
9. Don’t read this chapter: The limits of I Won’t power. Trying to suppress thoughts, emotions and cravings backfires and makes you more likely to think , feel or do the thing you most want to avoid.
10. Final Thoughts. If there is a secret for self control the science points to one thing: the power of paying attention