The Willpower Instinct
How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
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The Willpower Instinct
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Narrated by:
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Walter Dixon
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By:
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Kelly McGonigal
About this listen
Based on Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal's wildly popular course "The Science of Willpower", The Willpower Instinct is the first book to explain the science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve our health, happiness, and productivity.
Informed by the latest research and combining cutting-edge insights from psychology, economics, neuroscience, and medicine, The Willpower Instinct explains exactly what willpower is, how it works, and why it matters. For example, listeners 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.
- 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, but the brain can be trained for greater willpower
- Guilt and shame over your setbacks lead to giving in again, but self-forgiveness and self-compassion boost self-control.
- Giving up control is sometimes the only way to gain self-control.
- Willpower failures are contagious - you can catch the desire to overspend or overeat from your friends - but you can also catch self-control from the right role models.
In the groundbreaking tradition of Getting Things Done, The Willpower Instinct combines life-changing prescriptive advice and complementary exercises to help listeners with goals ranging from losing weight to more patient parenting, less procrastination, better health, and greater productivity at work.
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Critic reviews
"The Willpower Instinct is a new kind of self-help book. Using science to explain the why and strategies for the how, McGonigal has created a must-read for anyone who wants to change how they live in both small and big ways." (Book Page)
"Each chapter could stand on its own as something helpful, but taken as a whole, this book could be downright life-altering. If you are trying to lose weight, become more successful at work, rid yourself of toxic habits...heck, if you're HUMAN, you need to read this book." (Library Thing)
“This book has tremendous value for anyone interested in learning how to achieve their goals more effectively. McGonigal clearly breaks down a large body of relevant scientific research and its applications, and shows that awareness of the limits of willpower is crucial to our ability to exercise true self control.” (Jeffrey M. Schwartz, MD, co-author of You Are Not Your Brain and author of best-selling Brain Lock)
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 690
"Correlation does not imply causation". This mantra has been invoked by scientists for decades and has led to a virtual prohibition on causal talk. But today, that taboo is dead. The causal revolution, sparked by Judea Pearl and his colleagues, has cut through a century of confusion and placed causality - the study of cause and effect - on a firm scientific basis.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great book! Not a great audiobook.
- By rrwright on 05-30-18
By: Judea Pearl, and others
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How To
- Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems
- By: Randall Munroe
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,960
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,683
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,672
For any task you might want to do, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way so monumentally complex, excessive, and inadvisable that no one would ever try it. How To is a guide to the third kind of approach. It's full of highly impractical advice for everything from landing a plane to digging a hole.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Bad Ideas So BAD They Are NEARLY Irresistable! 🤓
- By C. White on 09-03-19
By: Randall Munroe
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Exercised
- Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding
- By: Daniel E. Lieberman
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,098
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 912
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 902
In this myth-busting book, Daniel Lieberman, professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and a pioneering researcher on the evolution of human physical activity, tells the story of how we never evolved to exercise - to do voluntary physical activity for the sake of health. Using his own research and experiences throughout the world, Lieberman recounts without jargon how and why humans evolved to walk, run, dig, and do other necessary and rewarding physical activities while avoiding needless exertion.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great book to listen to in the gym!
- By aaron on 01-22-21
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The Joy of Movement
- How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage
- By: Kelly McGonigal
- Narrated by: Kelly McGonigal
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 580
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 497
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 494
Exercise is health-enhancing and life-extending, yet many of us feel it's a chore. But as Kelly McGonigal reveals, it doesn't have to be. Movement can and should be a source of joy. Through her trademark blend of science and storytelling, McGonigal draws on insights from neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, and evolutionary biology, as well as memoirs, ethnographies, and philosophers. She shows how movement is intertwined with some of the most basic human joys, including self-expression, social connection, and mastery.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Academic - Not a Self-Help Book
- By PMRisher on 02-15-20
By: Kelly McGonigal
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At Your Best
- How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor
- By: Carey Nieuwhof
- Narrated by: Carey Nieuwhof
- Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 616
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 532
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 529
At Your Best gives you the strategies you need to win at work and at home by living in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. Influential podcast host and thought leader Carey Nieuwhof understands the challenges of constant pressure. After a season of burnout almost took him out, he discovered how to get time, energy, and priorities working in his favor. This approach freed up more than one thousand productive hours a year for him and can do the same for you.
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5 out of 5 stars
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So helpful.
- By kevin on 09-21-21
By: Carey Nieuwhof
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Be Exceptional
- Master the Five Traits That Set Extraordinary People Apart
- By: Joe Navarro, Toni Sciarra Poynter - contributor
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 359
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 309
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 308
Joe Navarro spent a quarter century with the FBI, pursuing spies and other dangerous criminals across the globe. In his line of work, successful leadership was quite literally a matter of life or death. Now he brings his hard-earned lessons to you. Be Exceptional distills a lifetime of experience into five principles that outstanding individuals live by.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Kindly Challenging & Encouraging
- By SuzeeSumatra on 11-10-21
By: Joe Navarro, and others
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Abominations
- Selected Essays from a Career of Courting Self-Destruction
- By: Lionel Shriver
- Narrated by: Lionel Shriver
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 25
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 25
Novelist, cultural observer, and social satirist Lionel Shriver is among the sharpest talents of our age. A writer who embraces “under-expressed, unpopular or downright dangerous” points of view, she filets cherished shibboleths and the conformity of thought and attitude that has overtaken us.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fearless thinker
- By Irene E Nunn on 12-03-22
By: Lionel Shriver
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10 Rules for Resilience
- Mental Toughness for Families
- By: Joe De Sena, Lara Pence
- Narrated by: Joe De Sena, Lara Pence
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 234
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 199
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Story5 out of 5 stars 195
Joe De Sena has spent his life running toward challenge and discomfort. Why? Because how we react to challenging situations defines us and our families. The only tools we have as humans to survive the many peaks and valleys of a full life are preparedness, health, leadership, and most importantly, resilience. Why do so many parents struggle to finish things we start, delay gratification, and protect our health - and why do our kids continue to struggle in every facet of life? Because we haven’t showed them a path to resilience, and we haven’t fought for it ourselves.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Words to live by !
- By ELIZABETH PATNODE on 10-21-21
By: Joe De Sena, and others
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Hello World
- Being Human in the Age of Algorithms
- By: Hannah Fry
- Narrated by: Hannah Fry
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 756
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 653
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 649
Hello World takes us on a tour through the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of the algorithms that surround us on a daily basis. Mathematician Hannah Fry reveals their inner workings, showing us how algorithms are written and implemented, and demonstrates the ways in which human bias can literally be written into the code. By weaving in relatable, real world stories with accessible explanations of the underlying mathematics that power algorithms, Hello World helps us to determine their power, expose their limitations, and examine whether they really are improvements.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Disappointing and meandering book
- By Sc on 02-10-20
By: Hannah Fry
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Peak Mind
- Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day
- By: Amishi P. Jha
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 670
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 561
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 550
Whether you’re simply browsing, talking to friends, or trying to stay focused in an important meeting, you can’t seem to manage to hang on to your attention. No matter how hard you try, you’re somewhere else. The consequence is that you miss out on 50 percent of your life - including the most important moments.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Was very disappointed
- By Christina on 01-13-22
By: Amishi P. Jha
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Determined
- A Science of Life Without Free Will
- By: Robert M. Sapolsky
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 13 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 861
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 770
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 770
Robert Sapolsky’s Behave, his now classic account of why humans do good and why they do bad, pointed toward an unsettling conclusion: We may not grasp the precise marriage of nature and nurture that creates the physics and chemistry at the base of human behavior, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Now, in Determined, Sapolsky takes his argument all the way, mounting a brilliant (and in his inimitable way, delightful) full-frontal assault on the pleasant fantasy that there is some separate self telling our biology what to do.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Abridged - no Appendix!
- By Amazon Customer on 11-02-23
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Talent Is Overrated
- What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else
- By: Geoff Colvin
- Narrated by: Geoff Colvin
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 417
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 345
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 340
Why are certain people so incredibly great at what they do? Most of us think we know the answer - but we’re almost always wrong. That’s important, because if we’re wrong on this crucial question, then we have zero chance of getting significantly better at anything we care about. Happily, the real source of great performance is no longer a mystery. Bringing together extensive scientific research, best-selling author Geoff Colvin shows where we go wrong and what actually makes world-class performers so remarkable.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A life-changing book if you value your performance
- By Brandon Moreno on 08-08-22
By: Geoff Colvin
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Super Thinking
- The Big Book of Mental Models
- By: Gabriel Weinberg, Lauren McCann
- Narrated by: René Ruiz
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 546
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 460
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 457
The world's greatest problem-solvers, forecasters, and decision-makers all rely on a set of frameworks and shortcuts that help them cut through complexity and separate good ideas from bad ones. They're called mental models, and you can find them in dense textbooks on psychology, physics, economics, and more. Or, you can just listen to Super Thinking, a fun, illustrated guide to every mental model you could possibly need.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Author falls in the same mental traps he talks...
- By gimenez on 08-04-19
By: Gabriel Weinberg, and others
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Ingredients
- The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on Us
- By: George Zaidan
- Narrated by: George Zaidan
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 303
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 262
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 260
Cheese puffs. Coffee. Sunscreen. Vapes. George Zaidan reveals what will kill you, what won’t, and why - explained with high-octane hilarity, hysterical hijinks, and other things that don’t begin with the letter H. Ingredients offers the perspective of a chemist on the stuff we eat, drink, inhale, and smear on ourselves. Apart from the burning question of whether you should eat that Cheeto, Zaidan explores a range of topics.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Disappointed in the nutrition conclusion
- By Cristi on 01-30-22
By: George Zaidan
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Things That Matter
- Overcoming Distraction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life
- By: Joshua Becker
- Narrated by: Joshua Becker
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 432
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 373
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 369
Everywhere around you are distractions: That text you respond to quickly, just to get it out of the way. The newest money-making side hustle to cross your mind. The evening spent organizing your overflowing kitchen cupboards. Disruptions are the enemies of a life well lived—both the new distractions of our generation and timeless ones that have existed for centuries. They all add up to make you feel restless, tired, and unfulfilled. They’re keeping you from living with joy, from accomplishing the good that only you can do.
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2 out of 5 stars
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A ton of preaching about being “selfless”
- By Amazo rrrrrrrrrrr on 08-25-22
By: Joshua Becker
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The Source of Self-Regard
- Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations
- By: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 190
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 152
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 146
Arguably the most celebrated and revered writer of our time now gives us a new nonfiction collection - a rich gathering of her essays, speeches, and meditations on society, culture, and art, spanning four decades.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Refreshing thoughts
- By Amazon Customer on 04-02-19
By: Toni Morrison
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Under the Sky We Make
- How to Be Human in a Warming World
- By: Kimberly Nicholas PhD
- Narrated by: Kimberly Nicholas PhD
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 65
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 57
After speaking to the international public for close to fifteen years about sustainability, climate scientist Dr. Nicholas realized that concerned people were getting the wrong message about the climate crisis. Yes, companies and governments are hugely responsible for the mess we're in. But individuals CAN effect real, significant, and lasting change to solve this problem. Nicholas explores finding purpose in a warming world, combining her scientific expertise and her lived, personal experience in a way that seems fresh and deeply urgent.
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5 out of 5 stars
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a book everyone needs to hear
- By John on 01-08-23
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Prepared
- A Manual for Surviving Worst-Case Scenarios
- By: Mike Glover, Jack Carr - foreword
- Narrated by: Mike Glover, Ray Porter
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,126
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,051
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Story5 out of 5 stars 1,046
Most people think that being prepared for catastrophe means stocking up on MREs and building a bunker in their backyard, but this approach leaves you vulnerable in the real world of car accidents, natural disasters, grid failures, and global pandemics. Prepared overturns today’s paranoid survival wisdom and teaches the foundational skills of preparedness that will not only help you build situational awareness and achieve greater mobility but that will also help you build resilient mental habits.
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2 out of 5 stars
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A bit of fear mongering
- By JOHN DAVIS on 07-13-23
By: Mike Glover, and others
What listeners say about The Willpower Instinct
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth Tudhope
- 07-29-19
Narrator sounds like a robot
Kelly should have narrated this herself. The narrator sounds like a robot and it is distracting and takes away from the book's content.
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29 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. Michelle
- 02-22-24
Absolutely awesome.
I’ve read just about every book out there on this topic and this one takes the cake.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shai
- 07-05-20
Don't skip this one!
The best self help book I've read. Scientific advice without bullshit.
Narrator is ok, I wish that it was narrated by a woman since the author is female but I respect their choice.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
- Osvaldo
- 02-24-22
Enlightening!!!
Amazing book, it clearly explains how our brain is designed and how to be aware of it to make better decisions.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 12-31-22
Great
Evidence based, relevant to today
The narrator sounded good
It was an interesting listen that I will put into practice
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- B. A. Whitehouse II
- 03-27-24
Good info as to why
I enjoyed the information and the performance of the reader. Definitely something to put the use. Should be something everyone would appreciate.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jerica
- 08-22-20
AMAZING!!!
Everything about this book is amazing. I've been looking for something to help me with self control that was based in science and this book definitely delivers. The narrator is easy to listen to and doesn't sound like a robot.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-07-23
Full of life hacks!
I love this book! Help me discover my willpower weakness and how to overcome it
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- NM
- 06-17-19
Very insightful
I usually struggle finding things I feel apply to myself or my habits. This book is spot on for certain situations that break will power and I bet it will be for you too. download it, listen, and apply it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- chris boutte
- 02-13-20
Loved it.
I love Kelly’s work, but I wish she would have narrated it. It was weird hearing a dude read it after listening to two of her other books lol
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