Kelly McGonigal Books
Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D.
Known for: The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage, The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It, The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It, Yoga for Pain Relief: A New Approach to an Ancient Practice
Books by Kelly McGonigal
The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage
The Joy of Movement explores the science behind physical activity and how it fosters happiness, meaning, and social connection. Drawing on psychology and neuroscience, Kelly McGonigal reveals how move...
The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It
In this groundbreaking book, health psychologist Kelly McGonigal challenges the conventional belief that stress is harmful. Drawing on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience, she demonst...
The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
Based on Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal’s popular course “The Science of Willpower,” this book explores the latest research in psychology, neuroscience, and economics to explain how ...
Yoga for Pain Relief: A New Approach to an Ancient Practice
This book offers a comprehensive guide to using yoga as a therapeutic tool for managing and alleviating chronic pain. Drawing on both modern pain science and traditional yoga philosophy, Kelly McGonig...
Key Insights from Kelly McGonigal
Chapter 1: How Movement Awakens the Brain’s Joy
Whenever we begin to move—whether walking briskly, running, or dancing—something extraordinary happens in the brain. Exercise activates the brain’s reward system, boosting the release of dopamine and endorphins, which create feelings of exhilaration and satisfaction. Evolution designed us this way. ...
From The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage
Chapter 2: The Rhythm of Hope—How Movement Restores Our Trust in the Future
Hope is not a passive wish for light but a power awakened through the body. When we move, we send ourselves a message: I still have agency; I am capable of change. Psychologists call this embodied empowerment. Clinical research shows that physical activity is one of the most effective interventions...
From The Joy of Movement: How Exercise Helps Us Find Happiness, Hope, Connection, and Courage
The Science of Stress
To understand stress’s upside, we first need to appreciate its biology. When you perceive a challenge, your body responds with a cascade of hormones—chief among them cortisol, adrenaline, and oxytocin. These are not the villains they’ve been made out to be. Adrenaline increases your energy and focus...
From The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It
The Mindset Effect
Research on 'stress mindsets' has shown that what you believe about stress may matter even more than the stress itself. In a series of experiments, participants who viewed stress as enhancing—who saw it as something that could make them stronger, more focused, or more compassionate—fared better in p...
From The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It
Defining Self-Control: The Power of “I Will,” “I Won’t,” and “I Want”
In my research, self-control operates on three levels. The “I won’t” power keeps us from temptation, the “I will” power drives us to act, and the “I want” power integrates them both around a deeper sense of purpose. Many misunderstand willpower as pure resistance, but science shows it functions more...
From The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
The Brain’s Control System: The Neuroscience of Decision-Making
Each time you make a choice between impulse and reason, the prefrontal cortex and the brain’s reward circuitry engage in a subtle tug-of-war. The prefrontal cortex plays the guardian, evaluating long-term outcomes, while the reward system chases immediate pleasure. Willpower training strengthens the...
From The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
About Kelly McGonigal
Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, known for her work in the fields of stress, compassion, and behavior change. She is also the author of 'The Willpower Instinct' and a popular TED speaker whose talks have reached millions worldwide.
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Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D.
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