Saturday, February 18, 2012

Is Willpower the Key to Success and Happiness?


By Jon Henley/ Source: The Guardian

In the smart restaurant of a very smart hotel in the West End of London, Roy F Baumeister, eminent American social psychology professor, orders a lunch of fish and chips, and then decides not to eat the chips. "I won't eat something that's not good for me unless it's absolutely perfect, and it's going to give me real pleasure," he says. "I'm afraid... Well, it just didn't look like these were going to do either."

What willpower, you might say. You'd be right; the chips looked pretty good. But Baumeister is also, coincidentally, a leading authority on that very subject, and has just published a smash-hit book on it with New York Times science writer John Tierney.

Willpower: Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength distills three decades of academic research (Baumeister's contribution) into self-control and willpower, which the Florida State University social psychologist bluntly identifies as "the key to success and a happy life".

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