Does your determination to eat sensibly start to crumble when you see those cookies in the bakery window? Does your promise to quit disappear like a puff of smoke at the first hint of a desire to smoke? Can you keep your face out of the Face Book long enough to complete the day’s work?

If you are faced with the temptation of a habit you want to control, apply the “ten minute rule” of habit control. Acknowledge the urge, take a deep breath, and wait ten minutes. If, in ten minutes, you still want the object of your urges, do so. Apply the rule repeatedly and you will find that the desire eventually subsides. Neuroscientists have found that the ten-minute rule robs a habit of its immediacy, giving the brain’s reward circuitry time to cool down. In that ten minute break, you may remember why giving in to that habit is not such a good idea.

The ten minute rule is just a piece of advice that you will find in Kelly McGonigal’s book, The Willpower Instinct. She is an award-winning psychology instructor teaching the popular Willpower Science Course at Stanford University. His book is about that course and the research behind it. If you want more willpower, this book is for you!

Most people cite “lack of willpower” as the main reason they struggle to meet their goals and reach their potential. Also, most of the methods that people turn to for self-control are ineffective. McGonigal’s course and his book provide scientific insights into practical strategies that can help people break their unwanted habits and adapt positive behaviors such as sensible eating, exercise, budgeting, and punctuality.

Studies show that people with high levels of self-discipline achieve more and are happier and healthier than people with less control. This self-help book tells readers how to dispel misconceptions about self-control and adapt new ways to meet willpower challenges.

You can learn, for example, that meditation is better than medication in reducing anxiety and strengthening executive brain function. Regular physical exercise pays off by giving people more ability to curb other habits like smoking, overeating, and procrastination. Breathing exercises, adequate sleep, and relaxation training also increase the ability to make better decisions that affect health and productivity.

McGonigal also addresses the cognitive and social aspects of self-control. You may be surprised that feeling overly virtuous about your ability to avoid temptation in one instance (ordering the salad, for example) often leads you to give in later (ordering dessert). At the same time, self-criticism and being ashamed of your indulgences only reduces self-control that much more.

Associating with friends and family who share your unwanted habit increases the chances that you will engage in that habit. Similarly, if you want to start a new, healthy habit, hanging out with other people who share your goal will provide you with social reinforcement. Maintaining an image of a future self enjoying the rewards of that healthy new habit will strengthen your commitment.

Here are some other little nuggets from The Willpower Instinct:

• For most people, willpower is strongest in the morning.

• When it comes to maintaining a healthy habit, strive for small but consistent goals, rather than impressive accomplishments.

• The most effective stress relieving strategies are exercise or sports, spending time with friends or family, getting a massage, taking a walk outside, attending a church service, meditating or yoga, or spending time with a hobby.

• Trying to suppress recurring negative thoughts only exacerbates those thoughts and feelings. One remedy is not to repress those thoughts, but to recognize them and remember that they are not necessarily valid. Tell yourself that this is the way the mind works and that it means nothing.

I like everything about this very readable book. Anyone who reads it will get at least one good idea for increasing self-control.

Book Review: The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal

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