I will, I won't, I want : what willpower is, and why it matters -- The willpower instinct : your body was born to resist cheesecake -- Too tired to resist : why self-control is like a muscle -- License to sin : why being good gives us permission to be bad -- The brain's big lie : why we mistake wanting for happiness -- What the hell : how feeling bad leads to giving in -- Putting the future on sale : the economics of instant gratification -- Infected! why willpower is contagious -- Don't read this chapter : the limits of "I won't" power -- Final thoughts.

After years of watching her students struggling with their choices, health psychologist McGonigal 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, she created a course called The Science of Willpower which was an instant hit for Stanford University.