"Self-Help" Books Are Nonsense. Here's Why

[@SamSinha]

Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIuTfoSPoZJkjc0

[@massimo8408]

Finally someone who is calling on the BS of modern Self-Help. Good job!

[@SamSinha]

Thanks a lot for watching. Stay tuned.

[@someoneontheinternet3090]

Finally? They have always been. I know because I ignored them for years to my own detriment.

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

As a psychologist I loathe these kind of books that deal with mental health because generally they do more harm than good.

[@SamSinha]

More dangerously, (a large section of) self-help books often monetize people's insecurities and psychological issues to radicalize them towards reactionary ideas.

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

@@SamSinha True

[@johnnyblunders]

I'm curious, do you feel this way about 12 rules of life as well? What kind of harm do you mean?

[@kahaniwala121]

Ur username giving me trauma 😂 💀

[@someoneontheinternet3090]

As a crazy person I also don't like them.

[@martianpop42]

"It gives you the false pleasure of achieving something, without actually accomplishing anything" This hits home!

[@SamSinha]

Many of us have had this phase, I guess. At some point. In the early-20s.

[@Skydreww]

@@SamSinha i am 17 and fortunately I successfully got rid of this hustle mindset

[@SamSinha]

Congrats.

[@DanielDez]

Try reading 'How To Be an Adult' by David Richo or 'The Six Pillars of Self Esteem' by Nathaniel Branden and tell me the same. Although I agree with the author of the video that there is heaps of trash in "Self-Help", I do not believe he dug very deep into the category to come to this conclusion. There are some very very good, life changing books as well. Instead of trashing self-help as a whole (which is a world of it's own) I wish he had instead sought out works worth reading, it would have been more helpful (pun intended).

[@ianwilliams2654]

Self Help replaced RELIGION.

[@SamSinha]

It did become some sort of a "religion".

[@bladbbbb927]

I noticed that too

[@bluefox564]

​@@SamSinha yeah I have seen religious people are mostly interested in self help crap because it is doing what religion is doing "manipulating people" and promoting inequality

[@Skydreww]

Everyone in this country believes that he is just temporary-poor millionaire and that is why social changes or socialism are very unlikely

[@SamSinha]

Exactly. Self-help often reinforces the same idea. Here in India, I've been seeing the same idea being perpetuated by these self-help garbage lately.

[@Skydreww]

@@SamSinha Actually, i am from Russia and a hustle working to become a millionaire is a widely spread mindset here but I think it is most popular in USA where it started

[@SamSinha]

@@Skydreww Yup. Agreed.

[@mimosa27]

@@Skydreww It's a mindset in the "New Russia"

[@viiviviviiv]

has anyone attempted to make a self help book that guides actual systematic improvements? Like Step 1: Join a union. anyway i really liked this, the way you broke things down was extremely easy to follow , you addressed some big issues here in a very relatable, frank way.

[@SamSinha]

Haha, that's a fantastic suggestion. True. Thank you for watching. Stay tuned. Trying to be more regular in posting videos.

[@williamcimino6918]

Vladimir Ilych Ulianov, aka. Lenin

[@SamSinha]

@@williamcimino6918 Love him!

[@myjciskate4]

Most far left political books do this.

[@calisthenicschristhebodywe5524]

Lol not at all! I think the individual role is easier to attack! You can simply blame one’s self for their own failures but actually attributing blame to external factors kind of kills the initial draw to self help if you told people yeah you have accountability but it’s not all on you it’s harder to sell! Which is why they constantly preach ridiculous rhetoric like you can’t just bypass socio economic factors, race, gender etc 😂😂 like come on now and it preys on people willing to do to anything to improve their situations!

[@Aditya_Pandey838]

Just like Tyler durden said "Self improvement is masturbation, now Self destruction"

[@SamSinha]

Did he say that? Watched/read that long ago.

[@Aditya_Pandey838]

@@SamSinha of course he did when Edward Norton asked him "Is that what a man looks like ? "

[@colinrussell2017]

​@@SamSinhaFight Club has aged well and is worth watching again. Timeless movie.

[@SamSinha]

I agree. It's a great film.

[@hyberkonawa272]

A lot of self book often feels ridicules and almost as scam. Is like back in the 80's we use to play outside as kids, riding our bikes and eating mud. Now 2023 there are books that says "How to play like a kid outside". Or "how to talk to another person", Or "how to make friends" OR "how to talk to a woman". Back in those times non-of this books didn;t existed Because Humans we ALREADY had this ability in our BLOOD is just... we never developed because of Technology and lack of community and collaboration. Like I know how to play tennis outside, the problem here nobody wants to come out of their house and play with me, Not even say hi to me and they pretend that they didn't saw anything because they are cold people.

[@JoJo-is-the-name]

A HUGE red flag for me when I was falling into the self help video genre was the fact that everything included making a start up or starting a business (sometimes vaguely MLM stuff). Maybe I'm crazy but reselling chinese knock off products on amazon or selling my own 'courses' online doesn't sound up my alley lol

[@SamSinha]

I agree.

[@bluedragontoybash2463]

my huge red flag is when the author have a picture of himself / herself as the cover of the book

[@nickanthropocene6502]

I'm glad someone finally talked about this. I'm glad someone finally made the connection to self-help and conservative politics instead of blindly defending these grifters to the death.

[@SamSinha]

Yeah, about time.

[@alexanderphilip1809]

@@SamSinha And there it is.

[@nischalbhattarai7461]

This guy said everything clearly and it resonated with me to a great extent. I have been engulfed into self help plethora from past 6-7 years and today I am a anxious person who cannot project his true self and try to put on a facade that has been provided by the self help industry. I think I have lost my individuality and I try to live like a machine trying to optimize every minute of the day. I was so much into self-help making myself better that I ignored my relationship completely and I live like a fucking computer. i think I have lost my emotional self and it's fucking eating me from inside. And anything that's responsible to make me feel inadequate, unworthy is the consumption of the self-help content. I wish I never tried to optimize my life,learn multiple boosing techniques but unfortunately I did and I never could form a meaningful relationship with any person in a long time.

[@leon3589]

In an atomised society, who better to help you but yourself; and thus the wheel turns and the system remains. “You cannot live in society and be free from society” Self-help is the perfect example of people being manipulated to the point of delusion

[@SamSinha]

To add: Marx's thoughts on religion would be relevant for self-help.

[@funaccount-vr9qo]

I literally used to clean the neighborhood not just my room then a few weeks after elections (which I had avoided and didn't even vote) 2 government agents came and harassed me and told me they were going to ruin my business(all this because I look different from the majority of the people). This is a 100% true story and worst part is my neighbors came to help them instead of helping me. I was left with a cut hand and torn boxer underwear plus PTSD that had me waking up scared at night for a few weeks thinking they have come for me. I still try to clean up but sometimes I feel too depressed and down.

[@CastironWhisky]

The best self help books I've read aren't self help books, it's ones that tell you to go out and be the change you want. Best advice I've seen is if someone is trying to sell you their book and their website has a merch store, you might be getting bamboozled.

[@monawoka97]

I think the whole "pillar responsibility on the individual rather then the society" argument has to be approached with a bit of tact. There likely are massive structural problems that propagate major issues in our society. We can and should address these without sluffing off responsibility onto individuals. But as an individual myself who want's to improve my own life today I cannot simply change the government or the larger economy that I am subject to. I can control myself. I can learn to work within an unfair system to do my best for me and my family. IMO taking responsibility for the things you actually can control doesn't somehow make you complicit with an unjust and unfair society. Self help, as corny and sometimes unhealthy as it is, is ultimately predicated on taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. I don't think that's implicitly bad.

[@SamSinha]

True, not implicitly bad. I'm specifically talking about the self-help massively sold in the markets nowadays. They're almost always vacuous, if not full of this unsaid political inclination.

[@monawoka97]

@@SamSinha I think a lot of it is. But even the vacuous stuff has something to offer if you approach it with a bit of humility. Even the 12 rules for life example has some truth to it I think. Sure, it's bad to say you can't criticize anything until your life is perfectly in order. That's an unfair barrier to entry and many people face insurmountable issues that prevent them from getting their entire life entirely in order. On the other hand I think there are plenty of people with the means and ability to improve their life that opt not to because they feel the world is unfair. And because they hyper-focus on this unfairness they never consider the things they actually do have control over that could better their situation.

[@myjciskate4]

To be fair, most actual political books on the left (not self help) do address how the individual should act within a society that is exploitative while simultaneously working to change it. Marx even talked about how it's not contradictory to work for a corporation within an exploitative capitalist system, while simultaneously working to dismantle these exploitative systems in the long run. People have to eat, and the overwhelmed majority of leftist political leaders and philosophers openly state this. It's just there's only so much you can do. One of the ways that people help themselves is by learning how they can systemically change society for the better in the long term. Your environment and systemic factors often play a large role in how well you can do individually, and most people are working extremely hard, far beyond what is considered reasonable. They're just capped, because at some point there is only so much you can do individually to improve your situation within an inherently exploitative system, and the system itself often benefits from spreading myths about meritocracy in order to keep people slaving away for billionaires own profit and towards the myth that they will all be able to make it if they just work harder. Statistical probability is real. At some point you have to engage in collective action, which, ironically, is an individual decision that one makes it order to to help better their lives. A lot of the people you see doing political activism are engaging in the best possible thing that they can do to help themselves. They are each making the individual decision to work collectively in order to make systemic changes that will directly benefit not only themselves, but their offspring and everyone involved in society, so that everyone can each actually benefit fairly from the results of their individual action. A supremely motivated hamster may make it a few more inches up the hamster wheel, but they're ultimately still on a hamster wheel. And the society and owners of the metaphorical hamster wheel have a vested interest in convincing the hamster that if they just run a little bit more, they'll somehow make it out. Essentially every left political book does talk about how what we can do individually to better ourselves within an exploitative system, but ultimately those actions pale in comparison to the primary individual action we can engage in, which is collective action. At some point no amount of self improvement can justify living under an exploitative capitalist system.

[@bluedragontoybash2463]

true

[@themanwhoknewtoomuch6667]

Imagine someone comes up with a genius concept of 20 minutes online timer or a digital flashcards that will boost your productivity by 200%...... oh wait.

[@daydreamer4436]

Our greed is strength for these guru's. We are humans , theirs recipes doesn't match the humans nature. Nonsense.

[@BelligerentIndigo]

I think it’s fair to say that self-help books don’t address greater systemic issues. And I definitely agree that there are some bad actors and toxic things about the genre. But, overall I would say that the genre isn’t really geared towards addressing these sorts of problems. Also, I think someone that’s disciplined, organized, charismatic, etc can help influence positive change in society more easily. Also about the “Clean your room” thing. This may surprise you but I genuinely had never heard the importance of this preached so vehemently before reading 12 Rules For Life. I grew up without parents for most of my life in a pretty unstructured environment so a lot of very basic life advice evaded me until my twenties. Either way, this was a good video and I enjoyed it. I just don’t agree with some of the points.

[@SamSinha]

Thanks for watching and commenting your thoughts. I appreciate your point-of-view, and acknowledge that some specific advise from a parental figure is extremely helpful in life. However, some of these books misinterpret many ideologies (e.g Marxism, Postmodernism etc), knowing it perfectly well that the targeted reader may not have the time to go through the actual texts of those philosophies. This, in the long run, may serve as the gateway to a specific set of politics. Again, thanks for putting forth your viewpoint.

[@BelligerentIndigo]

Also, it feels a bit weird to point to examples like North Korea to say that these people wouldn’t benefit from the advice of “clean your room”. That’s true but they’re also not in a position to read these books in the first place.

[@BelligerentIndigo]

@@SamSinha Yeah I mean Jordan Peterson’s political stuff is definitely injected into some of his work and I’m personally not a fan of it. But, I don’t think that speaks to self-help or life advice being unhelpful as a general rule.

[@SamSinha]

@@BelligerentIndigo That's just an example to illustrate that the personal incomepetencies of a person does not invalidate their right to have equal footing* in the society. * equal = Equality of Opportunity (not "Outcome").

[@SamSinha]

@@BelligerentIndigo To be honest, I have no problem with the "clean up your room" advice. It totally makes sense. Unfortunately, the political implication of the "later" part of the advice makes room for the problems I mentioned. Then again, to each his own.

[@dav08]

I don't like "self improvement" because it's similar to masturbation which feels good but actually achieving nothing. But to be real, I got the momentum to change myself through self improvement activities such as waking up early and workout. It felt good because I was doing something that most of the people won't. So I don't criticize it 100% but the point is, self help will slightly sometimes drastically change your mindset, but if you don't apply it to the real world it's nonsense. And the most important thing is that you need to know what you're doing and why you're doing it.

[@SamSinha]

Thanks for the thoughtful comment. Yes, I agree. I'm not against the concept of "self-help" itself. I'm just dissing the specific type of motivation garbage that's marketed as "self-help" nowadays.

[@Novanetics]

One group cracked the self-help code, making it suddenly "work" for people.

[@MaxMalm]

Great video, I've been talking a lot about this with my partner and we've come to the same conclusion. Do we know if any self-help gurus actually want to help people or just sell their snake oil? Do they believe in their own grift?

[@SamSinha]

"Do you believe in their own grift?" - Well, Max, I don't think they do. What I find in their grift is often a gateway to anti-worker politics. Glad you liked the video. Will be publishing more, as and when my lethargy permits.

[@A_n_y_t_i_m_e]

The name itself says everything: it self helps - the author/content creator, all the way to the bank and leaves you in a perpetual state of never being good enough, a project to be constantly worked on and pushed. It's a sophisticated control mechanism. These people feed on your deepest insecurities and they know and exploit them pretty well, many of them are probably narcissistic psychopaths. Check the works of Byung-Chul Han, he deals with this phenomenon in some of his books, highly recommend.

[@Alanspiderkipz]

This video confuses me. What is your alternative? We are all a part of this system, at the end of the day the only person who can make a change to your life is you.

[@sarbajitpaul3220]

Damn. People waking up at 5 AM to hustle and become successful is just inviting a false sense of accomplishment. The whole video resonates with what modern society as a whole thinks is the way to become rich. Smh.

[@SamSinha]

Yeah, it is cringe as well.

[@Rob-bi3sk]

Indeed, if it were that easy then you'd expect to see more poor people become billionaires when in reality even the 'self-made' billionaires tend to be upper middle-class and had the opportunity of fine schooling & connections. This is usually explained away by reference to the magical skills of 'entrepreneurship' - the poor don't have these entrepreneurial skills hence don't progress. Except a quick visit to any poor part of town and its full of people hustling and selling - often not legal - things so they clearly do know the basics of buying and selling, risk-taking & knowing your audience but it doesn't get them far. You'll notice similar arguments at the moment in the media 'poor people can't cook', 'poor people don't know how to budget' rather than admit that there's a tsunami of economic issues drowning the working class around the world.

[@SamSinha]

@@Rob-bi3sk Very well said. Very very well said.

[@tangeks5516]

rich mfs lucky af. they dont have to go to school or work a single hour of their life

[@SamSinha]

@@tangeks5516 The myth of the self-made man is... damaging.

[@ВсратыйЧемпионСиродила]

I do get that we should strive to change our world for the better, and self-help books should promote this message. But what the individual should do until the world changes? I get that political action is necessary for this kind of change, but you can still wait for who-knows-how- long until the world moves, should an individual just suffer in this system until that moment? I think that self-help books offer a sliver of hope that you can potentially change at least your individual situation right now(in your lifetime). That's a valid desire to have, and how can you be sure that this feat cannot be achieved? Why you can't try to improve your situation in this system and try to change this system at the same time?( That's a genuine question, not just a rhetorical one) . I mean to change the system you first need to learn how to survive in it right? You can't change anything if you're dead, or just miserable. You'd have to have a level of security in this system right? You can't just say that taking some amount of personal resposibility over your situation and taking some advices from those books don't change an individual's situation, to say that this is the case you need actual proof of their ineffectiveness (for any specific advice).( For me personally some advice from these types of books actually helped me, not sure about rest of the world. I am not making a point about it, just personal experience) I am not saying that self-help books actually help everyone and are all good, i personally found some good advice that helped me, but who knows maybe that's just me. I view advice in those books as experiments to run, some of them work for me, some don't.( I don't just dismiss them altogether It doesn't hurt to try them (for me). If there's a probability that it will help me, why don't i try it?) Sorry for repeating some points, or grammar mistakes btw. That was an interesting video!

[@BenedekSanta]

Okay, reading the comments looks like I'm the only one having a different opinion, but I just don't see how, deleting social media, not watching porn, and going to the gym and doing deep work can be a bad idea, some books encourage you to help others and to play positive-sum games and not zero-sum ones, also If I just look at the people around me, I see zombies, who are depressed, doesn't have goals, and just chasing pleasures, I don't want to be like them, but I get your point, and I think its an interesting point and ofc hustle culture are toxic, but trying to improve yourself and not the system isn't, do you think that the enlightened monk is happy, because of the system? He knows that's is something that's outside of his control, and if his happiness relies on it, he cants achieve true happiness

[@SamSinha]

First of all, thanks for commenting. Well-thought arguments. What I feel goes along these lines: 1. "Do you think that the enlightened monk is happy, because of the system?" - Well, "happiness" itself is way too subjective and almost impossible to quantify (till now, unless you are measuring the specific amounts of dopamine, and therefore, coming to a conclusion - which seems unlikely). That being said, it's precisely my point. Using personal development as a personal tool is fine. Unfortunately, there is more to it than just "personal development". It often serves as the gateway to terrible ideas. 2. I'm not really speaking against "positivity", "mindfulness" etc. I am opposed to the common notions of (what is portrayed as) "self-help" precisely because of the form - it does not address the underlying issues in the society that causes a person to get drowned in unfortunate circumstances (e.g the ones you mentioned) and never be able to get back. Instead, it gives a sedative that only makes the problem worse in the long run. 3. "If I just look at the people around me, I see zombies, who are depressed, doesn't have goals, and just chasing pleasures, I don't want to be like them." - I acknowledge this. We probably agree on this, at some level. In my view, the "problems" are there. But, they are structural - not personal, and most often shaped by the mode of production our system employs. Even "intellectual capability" is is often determined by the material conditions people grow up in. "Self-help" appears as the "heart of a heartless world" to them. "A soul of the soulless conditions". It provides a form of illusory happiness/improvement without fixing the problems in the long run - only providing isolated "solutions" that are way too vague. I don't want to take away their "illusion" like that. To call on the users of self-help (the ones with the unfortunate circumstances, as you mentioned) to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. My intention for the video is, to quote from one of my favourite writers, "Criticism has plucked the imaginary flowers on the chain not in order that man shall continue to bear that chain without fantasy or consolation, but so that he shall throw off the chain and pluck the living flower." This is why I criticize "self-help".

[@BelligerentIndigo]

Yeah, I agree.

[@SamSinha]

@@maxwellmarzolf2752 Charmingly well-articulted arguments.

[@sairohit8201]

Well there are definitely structural issues and problems, which are deeply rooted with people who are at the higher level in the social hierarchy, and also simply we can say that becoming something or achieving a goal in some parts of the world is easier than other's. If that isn't the case people wouldn't migrate to other counties to study or to get better opportunities. There are people in the world who still don't have proper food and shelter, why will they ever think and self development ( this is one of the good points in the video). Asking a hungry kid to hustle for so many houses a day sounds insane right ? But that's what is happening in the self help world they're literally asking people to just do some routine , follow some discipline and then no matter what they'll become successful, they'll become millionaires or billionaires , and somehow they'll be able to overcome systemic abuse from the society but their own individual effort. This is what is very toxic about the self help / hustle culture. Self help in- itself isn't harmful or bad , because i agree on what you've said, when you see people around you being depressed all the time despite having all facilities and luxuries and yes depleting social media and going to gym will definitely ease of some anxiety, and will definitely get you into good shape and a overall better mindset but that alone won't do. The innate problem with the self help/ hustle culture is selling the ridiculous hope of doing these things will get you anything. Improving yourself is never bad, but this message of improving yourself is used as a tool to divert the attention of common man/ woman from the larger problems that exist in society that are purely due to government or their policies or someone who has the power. But yes , there are somethings which are out of our control and we cannot do anything about them, in that aspect yes it's better to look inward and try to be happy with ourself instead of trying to change the systemic opression , and structural problems in society. They don't go away , they'll still exists even after we die.

[@Soundeagle3456]

self help is for people who didn't have good parents lolololol this is literally it, everything these basic ass books say is what my dad has taught me, or back in the 80s you wanted to get discplined you didn't buy a gurus book what you did was join the army and they'd kick your ass left to right and sharpen you up. many of these wannabe hard self improvement types would shit themselves infront of a drill sergeant. anyways, like the video mentioned the quality of these books is cheap, what do you expect from rich american authors, basic industrial type of content. i found that true readers take life lessons from english authors or those of europe and asia. this is my take anyways, i just feel that this genre of work tries too hard to be groundbreaking and to be quite frank it attracts basic minded people, not deep thinkers at all.

[@jmckenzie962]

Like many things, Radiohead foresaw the self-help industrial complex on OK Computer. "Fitter, happier, more productive.."

[@SamSinha]

Hahahaha! That's a nice observation.

[@trubleSum1]

You're on to something here. Keep up the good work. Thank you!

[@SamSinha]

Thanks!

[@EdLrandom]

Self help is very neo-liberal, true

[@SamSinha]

Mostly, as a survival logic of Capitalism.

[@skeeter-q4q]

Brilliant analysis that rings so true. There is so much BS in our society and your video is a breath of fresh air. Thank you.

[@adilgbadegesin]

"If you know your enemy and know yourself you need not fear the resul of 100 battles" sun tzu : art of war Youve outlined the problems now we need solutions

[@1njtrooper]

There’s room at the top for anybody but not everybody

[@loukitmyname]

It is genuinely funny that just last week, my boss was trying to convince that "If I take on hard projects, I will grow." Only problem is, it is only my responsibilities that grow, but not my salary. For reference, I am already contributing more than my salary's worth, in their own words, not mine. Somehow, I feel like they genuinely believe what they pitch, but not me. Funnily enough, I did eventually come to recognize my achievements were as much as product of my privilege as the work I put in, if not more. My privilege allowed me to put that work in. Since COVID, a bigger question that has been haunting me is that "Should a man's worth be measured by his purchasing power alone?" In this society, it feels like that is the yard stick, but I strongly reject this. I strongly believe there is much more to life than purchasing stuff.

[@SamSinha]

Thanks for watching. I kind of agree with you. But, in a capitalist system, I don't think the full value of labor can be compensated - anywhere. Surplus value is what makes the system running. It's not a fault of any individual (or, collective), but of the system at large. Second. While I agree that valuing something purely on the basis of money is wrong, I think the material conditions we live in... are the ones that "primarily" determine the quality of our lifestyle (and, the rights we enjoy). Money is not the be-all and end-all. But, material conditions do dictate a lot of things.

[@Gokulo24]

Good video, the only disagreement here is about the book the subtle art of not giving a f*ck in the avatar, it is good and points out multiple problems with the self help books

[@rubyj7647]

it seems like all self help books are just lite stoicism or taoism with different metaphors. at the center of every single one is this "thing" that you're supposed to align with (e.g. "nature," "the way," giving a "f*ck" about the "right" things) that the entire system relies on, that can't be defined. it's just new metaphors toward the same dead end. i like taoism because it does focus on this dead end and its contemplation, like en eternal source of fuel that is emptiness. it's neat.

[@rocksheezh4906]

To change the system, we ourself must be the change. And to be the change, we try to seek out and consume all kinda stuff outside of our intellect(and some of us just get stuck in the consumption phase and not jump into the action phase), soo its kinda good for seeking out that from books, just we must be conscious and consider the fact tat, 1.what we read might not give ALL of the answers for us , 2. Without actions, there will be no order in the choas,,, And your video is a piece of action you took, soo gud job🤜🤛

[@SamSinha]

"Without actions, there will be no order in the chaos" - that's something I agree with.

[@FelixCooper-hy5sk]

Bro I'm so happy you made this video, please continue making videos. You are one of the people we need for a better future.

[@SamSinha]

Hahaha lol I'm Heraclitus. Jokes apart, thanks a lot for watching.

[@estitt1973]

I really like the way you’re approaching this video. It hits all the right notes; Capitalism is THE PROBLEM.

[@SamSinha]

Yeah. All other things are symptoms. Stay tuned!

[@Rob-bi3sk]

Have you read Barbara Ehrenreich's Brightsided? Its a critique of the self-help industry that came out about ten years ago and is really good. She did some talks/interviews on KZbin covering the basics of her argument, but don't think can post links here.

[@SamSinha]

I haven't. Will definitely look into it. Thank you for watching!

[@JustAnotherFallenAngel]

The thought that Jordan Peterson might have a cleaner troubles me.

[@doitdevin]

You've got a new subscriber. Convinced me why I could not finish even a single self help book.

[@tuneboyz5634]

you just dropped a truth bomb which most kids can't handle😅

[@SamSinha]

Lol. I hope most can. Thank you.

[@ahanabhattacharya2805]

Puts a lot of things into perspective.. It was worth a watch.. Keep it up 😊

[@SamSinha]

Thanks! Yep, trying to address all the elephants in the room!

[@mimosa27]

You are great; subscribed to you. Do you think these authors get paid a little extra to promote this crap? What is their personal incentive? Btw, could you do a video on positive psychology?

[@SamSinha]

Apart from the obvious "make money" motive, there's something alluring about perpetuating the capitalist consciousness. I might actually think about making a video on that. Haven't thought about it though. Thanks a lot for watching! Stay tuned.

[@mimosa27]

@@SamSinha (The allure may be part of the Wetiko virus. If you're not familiar with it yet, I recommend that you to look it up.)

[@TrismegistusMx]

In the ninth century, the Buddhist sage Lin Chi told a monk, "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him."

[@someoneontheinternet3090]

So, you don't think that Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens are political? Or is it that their politics align with yours? Or is it that their books are not self-help?

[@SamSinha]

Everything social under-the-sun is political. I don't subscribe to the political views of Harris. For Hitchens, it's a difficult case. I agree with some of his views. Some, I totally reject.

[@V1lk4y]

Can u share your goodreads account if you have one I’d like to follow you

[@SamSinha]

Oh, I wish I had an active goodreads account! But, my lethargy didn't allow it. Can comment my suggestions for books if you want, while you share yours. Regardless, I'd be making a book recommendation video very soon. P.S: "Soon" is subjective... I hope my lethargy doesn't kick in!

[@V1lk4y]

@@SamSinha I’m looking forward for book recommendation video!

[@PraxisPeabody]

Messy room, messy mind. My mom used to tell me.

[@SamSinha]

She's not wrong. I mean, that's a great piece of advice. The problem comes when certain "intellectuals" conceal political propaganda within reasonable advice.

[@jonathonbriney2419]

I believe you have a really good point about the generalized books and videos that don’t really engage you in thoughtful exploration of ideas. However, I find very few areas in the realm of literature besides psychology or philosophy that really engages people in a dissection of their habits and mindsets in a way that encourages building momentum for change. The economic system of a society is important for determining what kind of people become successful over time, but if you don’t have the basic tools to take advantage or organize what you have access to in an effective manner, you are doomed to repeat your mistakes. Self help might seem like it’s about getting rich quick or putting everything on personal responsibility, which some definitely are, but I’ve seen that when you think about them as a set of ideas, you can pick and choose what you want to implement in your life to create change or start a positive momentum. Regarding the part of the video on economic systems, culture also plays a big part as well. Two very different things that I think could have used some distinction. An economic system is a method of distributing limited resources, while culture is a system of morals shared among a collective. Both play into each other but are very different in how they affect our lives. I really enjoyed getting to challenge my biases, and will check out some other vids of yours for some different insights!

[@texcatlipocajunior144]

My argument with a lot of these books is the underlying assumption that getting rich is the end all, be all of life.

[@SamSinha]

Money does matter. That's the biggest insecurity they prey on.

[@alexisautotte7159]

In the end only author get rich selling these books😂😂

[@SamSinha]

Haha. Seriously.

[@AK-47ISTHEWAY]

And the creator of this video is most likely monetized and getting rich off the ad revenue from all the views. He is no different than the "self-help gurus," he is criticizing.

[@SamSinha]

No, none of the videos are monetized. But, how would that make me "no different" if it was? I think, difference in philosophy is a huge (if not the largest) difference.

[@fyh615]

So what is the better way. Just live life poor. Or even better protest to something that will never change, and if u were a billonaire would u want to be taxed 40%

[@Jerril-ob3fk]

If you are just simply reading a self help book and expecting to be rich, make your life better its bs. But if u were to take some meaningful actions according to tht its useful. But its not like read 100 self help books only then u could do something in ur life then its all pointless Reading self help book sometimes be useful and sometimes not Its depends on individuals.

[@jeffxcc]

Good valid points and I'm self help junkie! I thinks it's a mix it's definitely environment and individual. Great points!

[@mounjayansaha4750]

Self help is a scam !

[@SamSinha]

A way of saying it.

[@mounjayansaha4750]

also compared to text books they lack the any technical knowledge of achieving anything. It sells a high of achieving something. James Jani has a very good video essay on this. Also astha channel have been doing the same thing before youtube.

[@mart1n287]

adding mindfulness into the negative category of self-help and hustle culture is insulting to so many scientists. Mindfulness is a very well researched subject. So the way you are putting mindfulness into quotations marks, shows that you have no clue about mindfulness. I dont disagree with your stance on self-help books, they are mostly BS. But putting mindfulness into that is just unscientific

[@SamSinha]

I've put that into quotation marks precisely because I'm criticizing the way these "self-help book" advocates use that word as a cure for issues that arise out of societal reasons. I put those quotation marks to clearly show that I'm not at all talking about the validity (or, the lack of it) of mindfulness. That's not even the topic of the video. I'm merely critizing their *use* of the term, not the actual meaning of the term. And also, scientists get their hypothesis tested, criticized, and often debunked (just as often validated). They don't get offended. That's the beauty of science. Plus, the research on mindfulness too has multiple aspects: some not as confident as you sound. Then again, that's not even the topic of this video. I'm mocking a carricature of the word, not the word itself. Thanks for expressing your opinion though (and probably taking the time to watch).

[@bluedragontoybash2463]

one man can not solve societal problem. The sooner you understand that.. the better your life be

[@Ab-xv4od]

If you have little awareness then you will understand easily that all this motivational gurus and their self help books talk about naked capitalism just consume and consume more.No place for knowledge and art just Nonsense Self Help

[@TheLeftistCooks]

Very insightful, thank you for the excellent video

[@SamSinha]

Thanks a lot for watching. Stay tuned. Will keep publishing more.

[@bluefox564]

Random self help guru : anyone can become anything Me recollecting the entire lore of iq

[@FinickyVoid]

Aaaaaand I'm subscribed. Looking forward to getting caught up on your content, and excited to see what else you put out good sir@

[@SamSinha]

Thanks a lot. Stay tuned. Working on 3 more videos, daunted only by the fact that I'm... I'm procrastinating.

[@AndreiStroescu]

as I've said before, great content, man. thanks for advancing the thinking on this topic. sorely needed.

[@SamSinha]

Many people have already advocated these ideas on Yt. But, there's a ridiculous oversaturation of the "magic self-help" viewpoint here. So... decided to saturate the counter-arguments a little more. Thank you. Stay tuned!

[@robertwest3826]

I think you could have said this in about half the time.

[@Wealth583]

Hey man your content is great but i just wanna put my point that if an author says to "Clean your room or surroundings" In order to maintain focus so whats wrong with that ? It's an advice then why you took that statement too restictively harmfull or serious ? May be unfair ! Btw plz dont mind i just wanna make sure what the actual reality is.

[@jamesm1394]

Thank you, Sam. I came across your video while looking for visual material on self help counter-arguments. If anyone is reading this and feeling at a loss if or when a loved one buys you a self help book, please, send them here. Sometimes, the problems are structural. It is perfectly in line with capitalism to shift all the weight on the individual. This is not only wrong, it is also highly destructive.

[@SamSinha]

Thanks a lot for watching, James. I agree with you. The implied politics of certain types of "self-help" content is dangerous.

[@thatdude034]

This dude: "Who cares what i think?" Me: "You're right" *clicks off video*

[@SamSinha]

Haha!

[@Sam-dc9bg]

There are some good ideas in them, but the main problem is the main measure of "self-help" is books is how many dollars and dating app matches one has. Some of the most vile narcissistic people on this planet love these books, but they are rotting inside.

[@Sarlekk.]

Metaphors are lost on this guy I guess lol

[@SamSinha]

Maybe, but that's exactly what I addressed. The room-thing is a political metaphor. And regarding the real-room (that some people don't have rooms) carricature... well, that's exactly how the person in question shifts definitions (plenty of instances if you do a quick search). I just did what he does.

[@cat_city2009]

3:30 1/3rd of the way through the video you've already hit it out of the fucking bark bro. 10/10

[@SamSinha]

Thanks a lot for watching! Stay tuned.

[@themaleflufff]

Well....that Thumbnail was personal😂🤣

[@SamSinha]

@@themaleflufff it was, indeed

[@rodb66]

The Self Help Industry ignores systematic issues that economical imbalance. All these steps these gurus tell us to do won't necessary make us get hired for high paying jobs or get loans to start businesses.

[@nevergonnagiveuuuup4784]

I guess self-help is only useful if you actually implement what is being said. If you just sit there and binge on these videos,it gives you a false sense of satisfaction that you have done something and that's what most people do. It acts like a drug imho. What's the point of watching such videos if you are not gonna implement what you are being told? I also think you have the knowledge,implementing's the problem here. I'm open to any other opinion :)

[@yunweiliu5700]

ur jokes r gold. thanks sam!

[@SamSinha]

Haha. Thanks. Stay tuned!

[@EdLrandom]

My name is Globglogabgalab and 0:07

[@SamSinha]

Hahaha! Nice reference! This made me laugh so much!

[@heidihowe1975]

Let the people say AMEN.

[@ranikalakaar]

Keep exposing brother.

[@Sam-qh1rs]

Was off to a good start but the criticism of ‘tidy your own room’ disintegrating into an argument of establishment and economic problems was well… a bit off the mark

[@nataliasegal8674]

I think this video starts with a good point but kind of generalizes and uses obviously bad examples like Peterson's book, which is obviously political. There are also genuinely helpful self help books by psychologists that help people with processing trauma and learning about attachment and other useful concepts and also self-compassion teachings are the foundation of having compassion for all beings and therefore dismantling systems of oppression. Also, what about books like The Body is not an apology? It is intersectional and all about transforming systems that oppress bodies through political action. This issue is not black or white...

[@Pantheist2602]

You should have known how will be the socio political nature of a video when Harris and Hitchens are mentioned in the beginning

[@JoJo-is-the-name]

There are definitely good 'self help' books that deal with trauma! However, I think the term "self help" has been annihilated beyond all recognition. Its association will always be with grind-set or lofi videos about waking up at 4am or hodgepodge books written largely with the same content and selling the dream of being rich. Its sad, because are many good books out there that help victims of assaults, attacks, and general trauma that are lost in a sea of just marketable garbage.

[@DaniyaalKhan2000]

Great video, thanks a lot!

[@SamSinha]

Thank you.

[@MisterN1]

Why would anyone go to someone else for self-improvement? Is it still self-improvement then? If you had to go to someone else then they had to improve you, at least mentally. It's a really bogus appeal to people's fragile egos that if they just seek help then they're somehow weak. Just the phrase itself is used in such a strange way to describe an industry of people selling books, videos, and everything else to delude you into thinking you somehow did it yourself. Why not call it what it is? It's just help/advice. I don't know man.

[@SamSinha]

Yeah, the name itself is off-putting.

[@MisterN1]

@@SamSinha Man you're a breath of fresh air, I'm happy to know I'm not the only one that sees through this BS. Best of luck in growing your channel too!

[@fawadneer6209]

Ok your most of the words are logical but I'm the example- cleaning rooms doesn't mean that what you said I guess, it actually saying this that maintain your discipline

[@radiofreecatgirl2590]

how come you stopped posting?

[@SamSinha]

I haven't actually. I just take too long to post. Haha.

[@radiofreecatgirl2590]

@@SamSinha

[@SamSinha]

Haha, thanks a lot! Will try to post regularly this new year.

[@lareyyy4100]

Finally someone said whats in my mind thank youu

[@archangel5723]

In my case I hate this new trend of "Improvement" youtubers , they legit gave some good advices at first but now every single one of them is the same bullshit.

[@Thinkpositivechannel7]

Without focus and determination nothing happens!

[@SamSinha]

Yes. I doubt anyone disagrees

[@VCV95]

Great video as always! And I respect the restraint of not putting that picture of Jordan Peterson in a filthy house while he is talking crap while you mentioned his advice. Lmao.

[@SamSinha]

Haha LOL

[@VCV95]

@@SamSinha we should all publicly laugh more at people like him, honestly. Make them feel like a fool. I don't know a better non-violent way of knocking these jackasses down a peg. Lmao.

[@ellisnow4007]

adults for sure need to be reminded to clean their rooms

[@SamSinha]

I wish the room analogy was merely literal.

[@PatrickHayden-i1q]

I think some of the books can be helpful while others can be harmful. I agree with some of the ideas of self improvement but majority of the things these people teach are just beyond stupid.

[@gonzoflake]

A lot of self help has nothing to do with "becoming a millionaire". The best examples of it attempt to show you how to take responsibility for and gain agency over the areas in your life where that's possible. Of course it's ridiculous to assume that you're only entitled to affect positive change in your own life. But it's equally ridiculous to assume that you understand how to affect positive change around you when you have ignored the areas of your own life that you could have improved.... cleaning your room for example.

[@SamSinha]

Thanks for commenting. I appreciate it. Tbh, I don't disagree much. But more often, self-help serves as a gateway to a specific type of politics that preaches the "self-made" man thing (something I find inconsistent with reality). However, my focus on the "clean up your room" was not on the metaphor itself, but its political implications. What I think instead is that your incompetencies at certain sections of life does not invalidate your claim to deserve certain rights.

[@adhithasimhanraghavan7516]

Cool man! I like your speech.. they make sense

[@soumachatterjee9399]

Awesome self help that i got

[@SamSinha]

Haha!

[@Smargendorf]

Very well made and to the point video.

[@SamSinha]

Thank you. Stay tuned!

[@saminal3000]

Wonderful video .

[@SamSinha]

Thanks!

[@coughyfilter]

It's not about being rich. It's about being content in the world. Maybe you don't struggle with mental health or motivation problems.

[@SamSinha]

My problem is precisely this. Self-help of this type (mostly) sells a political leaning, taking advantage of people's need for motivation (which they rightfully deserve).

[@coughyfilter]

@@SamSinha I have never really discussed the literature with anyone else. I enjoy some of it, but I also know how to keep my own opinions and read something for wisdom.

[@nichtsicher422]

For being content I would rather recommend mediations from Marcus Aurelius to be honest. No hustle bullshit and a quite enjoyable read.

[@BbY1231]

@@SamSinha No, not everything is political. Some just like to improve themselves, because the world would be an unbearable nihilistic place if we couldn't change day by day.

[@shahbazarain1648]

So what we read

[@openXclose]

This guy didn’t make his bed this morning

[@SamSinha]

Where's the lie! xD

[@notthesonofwilliam788]

*Warning, rant incoming.* I am currently in the process of slowly and painstakingly building a routine that will allow me to function on a basic level. I want to be able to cook my own food regularly, keep my very small apartment clean, respond to messages on time and not miss any crucial bills or other administrative tasks. I also work close to full-time for a low wage. No amount of will-power will allow me to maintain all of these areas of my life simultanously. The only things that I have found to be helpful is automation (a dishwasher, f.ex.) and making every task as easy and as approachable as possible for myself. I resent the idea of being told to just "try harder". I'm dependent on an economic system that already gives me very little time to rest or to pursue hobbies and social obligations. I am already constantly being asked to juggle all of the plates at the same time all by myself and I don't think it's a reasonable demand. I'm trying my best to build a routine that will allow me to do it because I don't have a choice, but I will not be lectured by any self-help author about why I don't measure up to an impossible standard. *Rant over.*

[@thornecassidy9386]

This video is itself political. If you do not have a room to clean, then maybe you should work on changing that instead of blaming society. Seriously, citing Che Guevara?

[@OdyOrd31]

You don't Even read it