Can you resist everything except temptation? In a hedonistic age full of distractions, it\`s hard to possess willpower - or in fact even understand why we should need it. Yet it\`s actually the most important factor in achieving success and a happy life, shown to be more significant than money, looks, background or intelligence. This book reveals the secrets of self-control. For years the old-fashioned, even Victorian, value of willpower has been disparaged by psychologists who argued that we\`re largely driven by unconscious forces beyond our control. Here Roy Baumeister, one of the world\`s most esteemed and influential psychologists, and journalist John Tierney, turn this notion on its head. They show us that willpower is like a muscle that can be strengthened with practice and improved over time. The latest laboratory work shows that self-control has a physical basis to it and so is dramatically affected by simple things such as eating and sleeping - to the extent that a life-changing decision may go in different directions depending on whether it\`s made before or after lunch. You will discover how babies can be taught willpower, the joys of the to-don\`t list, the success of Alcoholics Anonymous, the pointlessness of diets and the secrets to David Blaine\`s stunts. There are also fascinating personal stories, from explorers, students, soldiers, ex-addicts and parents. Based on years of psychological research and filled with practical advice, this book will teach you how to gain from self-control without pain, and discover the very real power in willpower. The results are nothing short of life-changing.