John Tierney Books
John Tierney is a science journalist and columnist for The New York Times, recognized for his work on behavioral science and social trends.
Known for: The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
Books by John Tierney
The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It
In this book, social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister and science writer John Tierney explore the 'negativity effect'—the psychological phenomenon that bad events, emotions, and feedback have a stronger...
Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
This book explores the science of self-control, drawing on decades of psychological research to explain how willpower works, why it matters, and how it can be strengthened. The authors combine insight...
Key Insights from John Tierney
Introduction to the Negativity Effect
When I first encountered the concept that bad is stronger than good, it felt both intuitive and unsettling. Every psychologist knows that our minds cling to bad experiences. A single mistake overshadows a record of successes; one betrayal erases months of trust. In chapter one, we lay out the eviden...
From The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It
Evolutionary Origins of Negativity Bias
To grasp why bad gained supremacy, we trace it back to our evolutionary past. Imagine early humans scanning the savanna. Those who ignored possible dangers—rustling grass, unfamiliar shapes—didn’t last long enough to reproduce. Our nervous system therefore became exquisitely tuned to threats. Loss, ...
From The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It
The Nature of Willpower and the Science Behind Ego Depletion
Willpower, we learned through decades of psychological experimentation, behaves less like a philosophical virtue and more like a physical energy source within the mind. I often tell readers to imagine this strength as a battery—a limited but rechargeable system. Each time you exert self-control, whe...
From Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
Glucose and the Physiology of Self-Control
As our experiments expanded, we began noticing biological patterns behind psychological fatigue. It turned out that glucose—simple sugar circulating in your blood—served as the brain’s primary fuel for tasks demanding self-regulation. When subjects exerted willpower, their blood glucose levels decre...
From Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength
About John Tierney
John Tierney is a science journalist and columnist for The New York Times, recognized for his work on behavioral science and social trends.
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John Tierney is a science journalist and columnist for The New York Times, recognized for his work on behavioral science and social trends.
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