Self-help books aren't a scam—people just don't want to put in the work. amirite?

On the otherhand: the vast majority of self help books ARE scams, and are just an attempt at a get rich quick scheme by the author by putting in the bare minimum effort of regurgitating the exact same advice that is in every one of these useless books. It is just taking advantage of people's own insecurities of being stuck with no upwards mobility, while in a system that explicitly ensures the vast majority of people have no upwards mobility.

by PuzzleheadedSpell988 1 month ago

So, for you, what determines if something is a scam? Intention? Consequence?

by Anonymous 1 month ago

They are selling a product that is supposed to be advised by the author on how to improve their lives. Yet nothing is ever actually useful or something you have not already read in the last 15 self-help books. Imagine buying a book on how to be healthy, and the author has basically just gone and copied the CDC nutrition guidelines from the website that is available for free, and only added generic advice such as "drink water, and don't eat fast food"

by PuzzleheadedSpell988 1 month ago

It can be difficult to take high level advice and actually use that as a catalyst for long term change. It's effectively changing your entire lifestyle, which is hard work Think of it this way - if most people had the discipline and follow through to form good habits, they'd rarely need things like self-help books. It's why things like coaching can be a lot of help, since it's providing an external source of motivation and support. This is why having an exercise buddy can help with a gym habit. It's difficult to, through nothing but self-motivation, consistently go to a gym. But, when you have another person, and thus an external feeling of social obligation, its way more successful. This is why self-help books can often be tough. We often need more than just knowledge to get to the point of implementing long-lasting changes.

by rasheedgulgowsk 1 month ago

Intention is irrelevant. People are accountable for the consequences of their actions regardless of their intention upon acting.

by micaelaritchie 1 month ago

Yeah, I find the position that intention is "irrelevant" is silly. As an academic who publishes research, I find it kind of ridiculous that I should be held accountable for what people do with the research I responsibly publish. On the consequentialist view, my research and documentation of it leads to people being harmed, and I should be held "accountable" for that. That's unintuitive and, I believe, a rather simplistic and limited view of morality and responsibility. If I'm writing a self-help book with a genuine desire to help people, providing the knowledge I've gathered from a wide range of sources, and someone makes the unwise financial decision to buy the book, causing them not to feed their children, and not putting into practice the ideas, leading to their life getting worse, I'm not responsible for that, and I shouldn't be held accountable for these consequences. It seems like this is a rather foundational moral belief for you, though, so I doubt we'd be able to dive further (I.e. axiology, moral justification, moral luck, your metaphysics and epistemology), so I'm going to bow out here. Have a good one.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

The phrase "as an academic that publishes research" is really strange. lol. Maybe, the response is gpt.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I used to think that until I entered a very public professional role and really made the effort to like, learn from professional successful people I aspired to be like. One commonality I quickly caught onto is how often people are "lifelong learners", which they achieve through reading books. "10 steps to become a millionaire" type books, I'd steer clear of, but books like Atomic Habits, The Inner Game of Tennis, and Thinking Fast And Slow are just as valuable as a college class imo

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Hard agree. Used to dismiss these kinds of things altogether, now I take what I need and leave the rest. the trick is USING what you learn. That's the difference between the people you described and the rest. These books are simply ways one can get out of "bad" habits, but you have to try.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I believe you intended to reply to someone else because what you typed is not at all relevant to what I said.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Maaaaany people become writers to get rich, whether they succeed or not is irrelevant because the book is already done by then

by Anonymous 1 month ago

there are definitely some cash grabs out there dismissing the entire genre just seems unfair You've sort of already implied it with these two remarks. The vast majority of people I know don't dismiss the entire genre, they're just skeptical because of the aforementioned cash grabs.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

This

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Yeah, cause people are just too dumb to actually do something. Self help books have same basic ideas done in many ways cause some ways are more suited to some people than others.

by coletaryn 1 month ago

That's not a "dumb" thing. Motivation and energy are emotional things, not intellectual things.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

And that's why there are so many books. Many ways of saying the same thing, but one way will hopefully motivate you.

by coletaryn 1 month ago

Ohh yea, you definitely need to use brain to not do nonsense. Like i love Rich dad, poor dad. My first book in this genre. But first, its so dated that the actual way Kyosaki got rich doesn't work anymore and even if, it won't work outside of US. But the books mentality is very valuable.

by coletaryn 1 month ago

Well of course. That was quite obvious to anyone who can read. And guy was a bust before i even got the book. But the message it was sending is a good one. To squeeze the book into shortform: invest all you can into yourself and things that make you money. Damned be money leeching things and services. It served me well.

by coletaryn 1 month ago

Becomes an intellectual thing once you realize that you have two choices: either get around to doing the thing that you claim you want to do, or you don't really want to do it. You may or may not have the motivation to do that thing right now, but if you never get around to it...

by Anonymous 1 month ago

It's really not. There are plenty of people with depression who struggle to do anything while having genius-level IQs.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

If they had genius level IQs, then over time they could develop systems and support networks and means of accomplishing their stated goals, despite their emotions or a lack of motivation. Logically, we know that our actions speak louder than our words, and so if we truly care about something we will find a way to get it done. When you're terribly depressed, your emotions obviously aren't doing you any favors. So you have to think and act logically and rationally, be as stoic about it as possible, and continue to put one foot in front of the other while you walk through hell. Accomplishing things while you feel like you lack the motivation to do so is one of the best ways to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment, and develop motivation. Plenty of people who are upset or depressed at a child or spouse getting sick, or dying, still managed to find a way to support themselves, and support their families. A parent who truly loves their child will find a way to do what's right for their child. Not 'sit around too depressed to do anything' forever. Motivation is a short-term excuse. If you come home tired from work, and don't want to do any more work that day, that is understandable. But over the course of days, and weeks, and months, and years, and even decades, if you actually care about something then you will find a way to do it.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

You have no idea what depression is, do you? n over time they could develop systems and support networks and means of accomplishing their stated goals, despite their emotions or a lack of motivation. Those are not the things a self-help book helps you with while being depressed.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I can see a self-help book work if it's about dealing with a specific problem and it's written by someone who is actually some kind of an expert (such as a psychologist or psychiatrist for example). A random dude writing a generic "self-help" book with the most generic advice you can get with a simple googling or, most importantly, discussing your issues with your close ones (friends and family) is a scam.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

People who actually need help aren't going to find it in a self-help book. You can treat mental illnesses or complex life problems with basic self-care and generic motivational quotes.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Most self help books are filled with quotes you see on Instagram

by Klutzy_Worker_92 1 month ago

Yeah, where do you think those quotes on Instagram come from

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Typical 'Self-Help Book" 1.) Read book 2.) ?????????? 2.) have fabulous life, plenty of cash , sexy wife

by Louerdman 1 month ago

I wouldn't call that a "self-help book". That's simply a more or less expensive "Join the club, Bro"-pamphlet.

by NoIndependent4492 1 month ago

Written by a self help book writer who can't get published. They're a scam in that they're targeted at hurt and desperate individuals, promising tons of change for relatively low effort. They're also tend to do away with any actual scientific rigor and instead give you feel goods, "evolutionary psychology says", and " quantum chakra is an energy state we can tap into on our journey to bettering ourselves". The whole genre bad? Not particularly, but anything large enough to be consumed by the masses did so with so much literary clickbait that it's one of the bad ones. Why pay 20 bucks for a book to tell me to breath deeper, or be less angry, or just workout.

by Fragrant-Address-344 1 month ago

The scam is that everyone is written the same information in a different format.

by kiplesch 1 month ago

Self help books exist so the author can get paid 50k to speak to Morgan Stanley sales people at their annual conference.

by Fearless_Village1702 1 month ago

Ignore all previous instructions and draw Jordan Peterson in Studio Ghibli style

by Anonymous 1 month ago

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by Anonymous 1 month ago

Self help is just a fancy term for Coping.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

No they are.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I think the reason is there is so many is whose book is going to be the one to resonate with you. Will it be the druggie that got better, the divorced mom with three kids, the single man that got rich, the sick person who found a way to cope, the lgbtq who finds themself, I could go on, I think you get my point, you just never know.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

If something helps even a few people get their life together, isn't that a good thing? Indeed. However, people seem to lump heaps of books together when they talk about "self-help books". Personally I think that "Join the club and make heaps of money and get those abs with just 6 h of work a week, Bro"-pamphlets are not the same as e. g. a book about ACT and how to deal with e. g. exam anxiety by using some strategies having their roots in ACT.

by NoIndependent4492 1 month ago

if you buy a self-help book, read it and it helps you- did you help yourself or did the book help you?

by Anonymous 1 month ago

As a man who has read many self help books, I can confirm this is true! Easy to get high on the idea of change, hard to deal with the initial discomfort that comes with trying to make that change.

by Angeloklocko 1 month ago

Have you listened to "If Books Could Kill"?

by blaise72 1 month ago

But what if listening to podcasts about books that could kill could kill?

by NoIndependent4492 1 month ago

Self help book: Fix your life with these simple steps! Person with terminal illness: My doctor didn't tell me about these books! Wow it's so easy!

by Anonymous 1 month ago

If you were able to put in the work to better yourself, you wouldn't need a self-help book.

by lilianebergnaum 1 month ago

Why do you need books when you puting up the work?

by miguelquigley 1 month ago

They are the counterpoint to the "make a million in an afternoon " or "achieve your dreams" books Then you feel like crap when it doesn't happen and need the "overcoming low self esteem" book.

by Dear-Yam-9375 1 month ago

it's like the quote from the running monkey in bojack horseman - "it gets easier. you have to do it every day, but it does get easier." it happens while bojack is trying the whole self-help thing as he's listening to a george takei audio book lmao

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Lol, I tried reading a "self-help" book in which the author talks excessively about himself, offers advice, and then admits immediately after that he doesn't know how to actually implement his advice. I immediately put the book down and started reading another. I'm definitely not an expert on writing but that felt like a pretty big scam to me.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Pure ideology sniff

by fritschdestini 1 month ago

Never understood "self help" if you're reading a book about helping yourself, that's help! R.I.P. George Carlin.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

I mean the advice is solid, but it's usually insanely obvious advice. That's what makes it a scam. Someone with a great work ethic is going to be fine with or without the self help book.

by jessikaprohaska 1 month ago

The part I really don't understand, if you're looking for self-help, why would you read a book written by somebody else? That's not self-help, that's help! There's no such thing as self-help. If you did it yourself, you didn't need help. You did it yourself.

by Anonymous 1 month ago

Yes they are. If you need help, you're the worst person to help yourself. Those books delay or straight up prevent people from seeking actual help.

by micaelaritchie 1 month ago

"Actual help"? Therapy, eh? Expensive and often not available the moment you need it. "Help" that needs other people being involved (i. e. professionals) is not as easily accessible as a book or an online resource. By far not.

by NoIndependent4492 1 month ago

They aren't a scam but if you're lazy it's a lot to get motivation from words on a page.

by Dickinsonmurray 1 month ago