ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Everyone I’m related to got thoroughly thanked in the last book, and nothing has changed—I’m still
grateful for a lifetime of support. So thanks now to some new people, who made this book possible:
To my agent, Ted Weinstein, who every author should be so lucky to have as an advocate. He gets
credit for shaping the proposal, helping the book find just the right publisher and editor, and making
sure I wasn’t procrastinating on my deadlines.
To the entire publishing team at Avery, and especially my editor, Rachel Holtzman, for championing
the book, providing brilliant editorial guidance, and (no small matter)
appreciating the humor of a
study that asks preschoolers to resist marshmallows. I hate to think what might have become of this
book in the hands of someone who didn’t love science.
To readers of my first drafts: Brian Kidd, who was unfailingly enthusiastic about every word and
laughed at all the jokes, and Constance Hale, whose insightful feedback helped me clean up the mess.
To illustrator Tina Pavlatos, of Visual Anatomy Limited, for the wonderful brain pictures in this
book, and for demonstrating exceptional patience when I kept asking for a slightly different angle on
the medial prefrontal cortex.
To all of the scientists who talked with me via phone, e-mail, or in person, either directly for the
book or over the years helping me shape my understanding of the science, including Jo Barton, Sarah
Bowen,
Daniel Effron, James Erskine, Hal Ersner-Hershfield, Matthew Gailliot,
Philippe Goldin,
James Gross, Kate Janse Van Rensburg, Brian Knutson, Jason Lillis,
Eileen Luders, Antoine Lutz,
Traci Mann, Benoît Monin, Kristin Neff, Robert Sapolsky,
Suzanne Segerstrom, Brian Shelley, and
Greg Walton. Deep gratitude for your contributions to the field, and if I erred in my description of the
nuances of your work, I apologize.
To the folks at Stanford who have supported my teaching over the years: a special thanks to
Stanford Continuing Studies for nurturing “The Science of Willpower,”
especially Associate Dean
and Director Dan Colman, who first approved the course idea; and to the Stanford Center for
Teaching and Learning, the School of Medicine’s Health Improvement Program, the Stanford Center
for Compassion and Altruism
Research and Education, and the Psychology One Program for giving
me the tools, opportunities, and encouragement to focus on becoming a better teacher.
The last and largest “thank you” goes to all the students who took the course “The Science of
Willpower,” without whom there would be no book. Especially to those of you who asked tough
questions, bravely shared your embarrassing stories in front of a
lecture hall full of strangers, and
even brought in homemade fudge on the last night of class so we could all practice—or abandon—
willpower in celebration.