Why You Should Read Self-help Books

We're often encouraged to be dismissive of the idea of self-help books, but reading in order to grow emotionally is one of the most serious and important of all literary tasks.
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FURTHER READING
“There is no more ridiculed genre than the self-help book. Intellectually-minded people universally scorn the idea of them. Self-help books don’t appear on reading lists at any prestigious university, they’re not reviewed by highbrow journals and it’s inconceivable that a major literary prize could ever be awarded to one of their authors. This concerted attack on the entire genre of self help is a symptom of a Romantic prejudice against the idea of Emotional Education. Offering explicit Emotional Education is regarded as beneath the dignity of any serious writer. We should - if we are at all intelligent - know how to live already…”
You can read more on this and other subjects here: goo.gl/5NhGkW
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[@theschooloflifetv]

Happy New Year from everyone at The School of LIfe. Be sure to join us on our app to discuss more interesting topics with like-minded people: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-school-of-life/id1182058270?mt=8itunes.apple.com/gb/app/the-school-of-life/id1182058270?mt=8

[@BRabbid]

The School of Life when is the android version out

[@theschooloflifetv]

We hope at some point in later 2018. Thanks for your patience.

[@feelsokayman3959]

The School of Life Thank you all for your enlightening videos!

[@sheilablake4858]

A happy new year school of life & watchers. The trouble with self help books are that some are forever reading them, yet seem not to actively apply them to ones life.

[@21972012145525]

This is so true and is true about school of life videos too

[@DecodeChannel]

I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

[@mulimotola44]

Decode Channel actually lol'd, thanks!

[@steverichmond3359]

Neat

[@sebastianelytron8450]

Decode Channel first contender for COTY 2018

[@PaleGhost69]

Decode Channel This is a decade old dad joke. I approve 👍

[@no_one8916]

I really laughed.. well played

[@rickuslastname6305]

"If you're getting assistance from someone else that's not self-help, that's help. If you did it yourself you didn't need help." ~George Carlin

[@briantobias9212]

it's so important to gain knowledge through reading AND first hand experience. Books are awesome! But remember to go out and execute those practices.

[@frankpetra1546]

Brian you're everywhere! I love your vids

[@theguywhoonlyleavescomment8234]

Brian Tobias No one cares

[@marvelhasiholan5495]

Shut up

[@theguywhoonlyleavescomment8234]

Haha idiot once your comment got traction you changed it from being about you to applying to everyone good job being stupid

[@92AllSaints]

Exactly. Otherwise it’s just theory

[@professionalfacepuncher8361]

my product placement sense is tingling

[@TheManyMan]

Lmfao Product Placement Man to the rescue

[@SpockRock1701]

Mmm, The school of life has several self-help books published & this smells advertisement-y

[@johnvlahos5299]

What if they genuinely believe that shelf-help books are good? Yes there is conflict of interest since they sell such kind of books but that does not mean that they just say they are good only to sell more books.

[@EyeLean5280]

Professional Face Puncher: Right?

[@johnvlahos5299]

@@heyhey8626 Starting your reply with correcting an obvious orthographic mistake is in poor taste. I might as well suggest that initiating a sentence with a conjunction is a dreadful stylistic choice. As well as using the word "video" twice in a sentence. However, to respond to your comment, I will point out that your thesis is lacking any substance of evidence. You are trying to convince me of an opinion you have without showing me why it is correct.

[@ashraf5136]

Currently reading '' The subtle art of not giving a fuck"

[@karandex]

Mohideen Ashraf that book is basically about stoicism

[@Zsofecka]

i just bought it, very curious to read it : )

[@jmorgance3097]

About to read "Unf*ck Yourself".

[@ourochroma]

How’s working so far? XD

[@ashraf5136]

The book is of course different from normal self help books. Good read so far.

[@gabrielgodoi4565]

The problem with self help is that it's often cheap, cash grab literature. "10 steps to be happy" "7 steps to make her orgasm" "5 things rich people do"; this kind of read is utter bullshit, but when it gets philosophical it can get quite interesting.

[@sebastianelytron8450]

"7 steps to make her orgasm" Self help? Is that a book for when women refer to their nether region in the third person?

[@subscribes6434]

This is so fucking true

[@gabrielgodoi4565]

Sebastian Elytron haha i realise now the absurd i wrote there, in my defense i was in a hurry but what i realy meant is That hese kind of "list of things to do to change your life" is cheap, low level, useless literature. Following Spinoza's line of thinking, every situation is specific and unique; otherwise, if these books realy worked, why aren't the problems of everyone solved? Hope my broken english is enough

[@-anaamna5616]

Gabriel Godoi well not all self help books are like that!

[@neillaquian6068]

There's this psychologist with his self-help book "Learned Optimism". It is a good read btw justified by social and lab experiments. Not a cheap book.

[@k4piii]

Read it, incorporate to your life the best teaching or the most relatables, see if they work, find when they don't work, analyze which ones are good and stick them into you.

[@danielnobrega1009]

The arguments exposed are in favour of starting seeing literary classics as self-help books, and learning from them. but the video does not make any point for reading what we currently call self-help books.

[@theschooloflifetv]

You understand us perfectly!

[@bhaktabilly4669]

The argument does imply that people should value all books designed to teach us to live well.

[@karandex]

Because many are money grabs

[@hectorcoder]

Name titles?

[@kiss4god]

Sure many are, but there’s a lot of truly insightful ones too.

[@UndergroundTico]

Indeed, just look at books like The Secret. It's said to be self-help but it just turns out to pseudo-scientific bullshit. "If you believe enough in something it will appear in front of you" and crap like that, and it's still one of the best selling self-help books ever. They just play with people emotions and hard times in order to sell.

[@xerxer9251]

King Аt Life such an intellectual

[@soapbox187]

I agree. Any self help book thats flying off the shelf these days is a money grab. The very reason why they are selling is a testament to the quick fix addiction todays social environment. Having a general disdain for people these days and yet buying the books they are buying is a vicious cycle. I found the best books are the ones you only find ONE copy of at the bookstore. Not the last copy, but one copy. Read those!

[@dutchik5107]

I think self help books can be really tricky. The ones that ask you questions and make you reflect, do excersizes and experiments and maybe tell you to work Out(proven to lower anxiety and depression and make you happier and also healthier) Are good. But those that just give hope. Tell you to change who you are. Are like. "Look at my success" are counterproductive.

[@darkspinspard4258]

Dutchik thats an interesting observation and definitly seem like a good way to know if the book someone pick is legit or not

[@dutchik5107]

darkspin spard4 you still don't exactly know until you read it

[@darkspinspard4258]

Dutchik very true of course people must not just rely on those things and keep an open mind on the options available to them and decide what does and doesnt work for them...

[@dutchik5107]

darkspin spard4 you can never completely rely on something other than yourself But i think that is why it is called "help" and not "fix"

[@sanomihoi8406]

Totally agree! I also have the same thing with Ted talks. A lot of them make me feel worse about myself. E.g. when the speaker is giving 3 ways they accidently did something great.

[@PaleGhost69]

Because reading anything makes you smarter? Well, except KZbin comments...

[@CasualMorgan4]

True

[@hunjoey]

Your comment is definitely one good example that makes nobody smarter. But fortunately there are good comments here and there.

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

Well, when you put it like that it sound rather hard to beileve, but yes -- The mental activity of taking visual symbols and compiling and abstracting them into meaning is quite the workout for the brain largely irrespective of the subject matter.

[@jayfawn8478]

PaleGhost69 you won't believed me until I tell you, I copy some comments for my essay here. It is a comment explaining fascism, it is clear and well written.

[@soonny002]

Lol

[@lowtzean6828]

"Purchase The Book of Life to find out more!"

[@NA-vd9rt]

Low Tze An 👌

[@theschooloflifetv]

You are teasing us of course, and applying cynicism where it doesn't belong. As you know, the Book of Life is made by us - at vast cost - for your free use: www.thebookoflife.org !

[@theschooloflifetv]

Or not! See below!

[@lowtzean6828]

I'm kidding! Love your channel

[@lightseeker2349]

First SoL's sales pitch

[@eruyommo]

The problem with self help books is that as they are so ridiculed, no good authors write them and they are not expected to be academicly rigorous. Because of that, most self help writers are buffoons or charlatans that confirm this self-fulfilling prophecy. In a nutshell: Low expectations -> Poor writing -> lower expectations.

[@monowill8314]

"Because they are so ridiculed, no good authors write them." Actually, no. Because they are ridiculed, no author *who is afraid of ridicule* will write them. Good authors are insightful, and an insightful author can examine a fear of ridicule more closely, and perhaps see past it.

[@dushyantparkhi]

Not true, they are just not popularized by media. Good books exist , try reading “ age of absurdity “ by foley. A classic book for all generations

[@StoicthoughtsbyMatt]

Well, Tim Ferris is a good writer. I don't usually come across a lot of good writing styles from self-help books, but he has a good writing style. P.S, my dad is a writer, so I know wh.at great writing looks like. Great writing is Ernest Hemingway writing

[@soonny002]

Any book can be a self-help book as long as you grow from it. People might think Tony Robbins' books are self-helpful, but Charles Dickens taught me a lot too. The key is to find ways to implement what you learned from books in real life so that it makes you a better person. But self-help books sometime over-promise its readers with life altering or game changing strategies that really aren't realistic or generalisable. For some, reaching for a self-help book reflects a desperate attempt to remedy a dire situation in which a self-help book alone is unlikely to be sufficient. Yet, people who are content with their lives wouldn't bother read self-help books anyways. This forms a strange catch-22 which further devalues the entire genre. Most dangerously however is that self-help books sometime give us a false sense of security so much so that we risk getting caught up in the advice without actualizing what we learned. My advice is to approach any book with a healthy dose of skepticism, but also to discuss what you learned with a trusted and learned friend to gain perspective. Sometimes, the latter is way more helpful than the former.

[@sarahholman2570]

Actually, I'm pretty sure the Young Adult Romance Novel genre still gets more criticism than Self-Help books. :p

[@Gabriel-bk3lm]

debatable

[@StoicthoughtsbyMatt]

Yes, I would have to agree. Take a look at some of John Green's books for example

[@silkieshag9703]

We have to admit that self-help books are the introduction for common people to start reading more serious philosophical books. PD : Reason > emotion

[@subscribes6434]

When these books are philosophical such as the ones made by the stoics (marcus arelius and seneca) then yes they do work. However when its money grabbers with cheesy titles like (10 steps to become succesful) are stupid and they just want your money

[@theschooloflifetv]

Exactly, thanks for understanding us.

[@-anaamna5616]

The School of Life can you please give suggestions on good self help books.. Because those types of money grabbers are the ones giving self help books a bad reputation. So maybe giving some examples or suggestions - other than the ones mentioned in the video - would be lovely.

[@SirSpinach]

Sometimes, for the practical purpose of reaching a greater audience, books with good advice adopt click-baity titles. Since more people are attracted to provocative titles, this strategy ends up increasing the overall impact/profitability of the advice. Examples include "The 4 Hour Workweek" or "I will Teach you How to be Rich"

[@David_Alvarado_Vilchis]

In fact I've always thought that they're so important before we'll start our major, maybe before our classical education. It's another tool to improve our personality which is very important for any activity to do.

[@evelynfranca4992]

This is weird, because Alain de Botton often talks about how self-help books can be damaging. Books like "you can do it, look how I succeed" and, in the video, he mentions what we consider to be fictional literature, which I think it's the best way to find self-help too (to look at other people's "life"). But that could have been clearer...

[@NA-vd9rt]

Evelyn França 👌

[@theschooloflifetv]

There are definitely harmful and bad self-help books, the video above makes that very clear. However, in this film, we're pointing to the amazing possibilities in the genre. They might - and sometimes are - the very best.

[@andrewschultz6608]

I've been out of college for a while, but I recently read a book about how to do well in college. There were a lot of moments where the author described something where I wondered if I could do something that way, and if I'd read that book, I'd hav had more confidence. There was also stuff like asking questions without seeming like a teacher's pet. I think one reason self help books get such a bad rap is that the bad ones are really bad. They give flat out wrong information how to live, or they are pro-greed. While you can laugh at a bad novel and be done with it, the "if you failed, you didn't try hard enough" message TSoL has had problems with is very prominent. It may not be right, but it's simple.

[@deliciousdishes4531]

That's not the reason. They are ridiculed because they tend to be money grabs that really don't teach you anything special you didn't come up with once in your life or that you couldn't come up with when thinking for a few minutes. The REAL reason modern self help books have a point, is that they deliver a ton of motivation via examples. Even if a lot of them are made up.

[@Elizabeth-yg2mg]

Completely agree that emotional education should be more important. I read nothing but psychology, self-help, biography and memoir; can't swallow fiction. I am the only member of my immediate family who isn't alcoholic and/or personality-disordered. Self help and psychology books have helped me vastly more than any shrink or counselor, and for free. Thanks for your videos--the animation cracks me up and the colors are beautiful.

[@carlbowers7510]

What makes the author more qualified to educate emotions. It is something we are expected to know because truly no one knows how to live.

[@EmiltPaige58]

Two books that changed my life are: "Letters to a Young Poet" by Rilke and "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. These books challenged how I view and interact with the world, and even how I approach my own life. However, I never saw them as self help books until now. It makes me want to write such a book one day as well!

[@maldito_sudaka]

Osho's self-help books transformed my life drastically while I was on therapy during my teenage years. I completely agree with this video. If people were more emotionally healthy, the world would be SO different.

[@ZubinB]

I'm a psychology student & NO, you should never read or rely on self-help books, at all. They encourage us to be something we're not, and if we become as instructed, we fuel this effort with willpower. Except, willpower is a scarce resource, and it's never pragmatic to use it for such short-term gain. Eventually, you'll revert back to your older selves, change has to be inspired from within, and it has to follow a certain natural progression. Self-help books allows us to introspect & gain wisdom, but they also come with the pressure of expectations. Reading a philosophy book for insight can serve as a disguised form of a self-help book, which would be the healthier alternative. This is coming from my own personal experience. However, this is not the case for everybody, as everyone has their own unique reaction to certain stimuli.

[@tricky_flix]

Zubin B. That's definitely still an interesting insight, thank you

[@eruyommo]

Zubin B. But wasn't recently debunked the idea of limited willpower by recent studies?

[@CarlAnngello]

Thanks for the alternate viewpoint.

[@-anaamna5616]

Zubin B. Will power is a scarce resource?? 🤔

[@sebas11tian]

There have been studies on the matter. It seems that if you refrain from doing something at one moment and then must use your willpower again it is harder to complete the second task as opposed to only doing the second task. If I remember correctly 2 groups were given a hard reading that required a lot of effort. One group had waited in a room before the task and the other one waited in a room that had donuts and was asked not to eat them. The first group proved much more successful at the task. I have a hard time believing the results without further confirmation, although I am not up to speed in the literature.

[@nikokaapa]

Good video and I agree. I started really reading them last year and my life has become considerably better because of it.

[@ohpinkiepie]

I'm dealing with constant rude remarks from my partner when I even try to look at any self-help book. He's one of these people saying "you should already know how to live". Well, then teach me, you genius human being.

[@alexmar1382]

Tell your partner he's a moron; if we know how to live then the world would be perfect.

[@lexorcism]

4 minutes of a SOL video feels so long compared to most KZbin videos, in a good way. Packed with meaning.

[@noneofyourbusiness8252]

I got a chill down my spine from this. I often wonder why the self-help genre is so harshly criticized. The books are not judged separately, but instead by category. It always struck me as odd that this would be the case.

[@officialbookshelves9004]

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” ― Tom Bodett

[@quiet8100]

I hope all of us die without fear knowing we are returning to the source.

[@mouglliakki]

Your Euro-Centrism is stunning. Philosophy books of India (Chanakya Niti, Arthshastra, Vedas, Mahabharata, Bhagvad Gita, Ramayana), China (Confucius etc.), Egypt, Persia and Japan are not mentioned at all. Everything is Rome or Greece with you guys.

[@TheTorridestCheese]

Philosophy books are great for this too. Reading Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morals taught me to accept emotions I deemed "bad" and to stop running away from life.

[@Gallzatron]

"That's not self help, that's help!" -George Carlin

[@akibjawad146]

Benjamin Dover "If you did it yourself, then you didn't need help" - George Carlin.

[@JoRiver11]

I am really enjoying everyone's comments on this where they are sharing their favourite self-help books. Lovely reaction to this video. I have occasionally had the experience of a book that is not self-help being quite life changing, perhaps even more effectively than books intended to be self-help. The one that comes to mind was Mists of Avalon when I was in my early 20's. I had been raised catholic and had some limited views about sex and women's potential. I don't remember any specifics, but reading MoA was like an awakening.

[@nni7774]

thank you guys for this... very underrated! self help is important

[@aifan6148]

If Neil Gaiman writes self-help books, I would totally read them. Coraline is sort of self-help. And Yuval Harari's two books are quite enlightening too. Helped me to find my purpose and meaning in life. Waiting for his third one.

[@jesseishere9959]

I love self-help books because I love psychology.

[@nocando17]

This is the equivalent to saying "Why you should buy my mixtape?"

[@georgeg.6841]

Donnie R cuz its fire bruh, it’s obvious

[@bolivar1789]

Hello Donnie. But please remember that all the " self help content" from this channel is for free: 1.They have offered us 566 Videos for free. 2.The Book of Life with hundreds of articles for free. 3.All of Alain's documentaries on youtube for free. 4.And they have an app for free. I know they have some expensive items in their shop too. But that's only for those who can afford it and who want to support the channel. You don't have to buy anything. By the way, you don't make youtube videos about death, anxiety attacks, divorce, and depression, as an " advertising" for your candles and notebooks, right? Please keep also in mind that they do NOT accept donations like other big educational channels ( like Crash Course etc. ) With 3 million subscribers, if everyone paid just one dollar a year, they could make a fortune, right? So can there be something called IDEALISM behind all this? Because after all wanting to do good in this world by helping others to suffer less is a much more noble and meaningful ideal than wanting to become rich. That's how we can live a " fulfilled" life. Well, of course this is just my humble opinion. But I would be glad if you gave it a though. Sorry this message got a bit too long. I wish you a very happy new year!

[@burymebelowawillowtree9243]

Lua Veli well said.

[@georgeg.6841]

Undercover ads are my favourite hehexd

[@bolivar1789]

Hello there Dirty Hippie! Thank you for reading. Happy new year :- )

[@kiss4god]

The four agreements ❤️

[@Zainab-ox2pq]

So good.

[@YuyiLeal]

I'm very glad you made this video...

[@nialynluarca3836]

Gratefulness is the secret to happiness. Once we all realize how incredibly lucky we are to even be alive on this planet and stop comparing ourselves to others, true happiness will find us. The one thing that helped me so much to become more grateful was Forwago.

[@gepe.]

The first Alain de Botton I've read 20 years ago was "How Proust can change your life", it didn't, but I loved the way it teased my brain and I keep looking to get the same feeling since then... Also since then I try to have breakfast with beer... Oh wait, I guess Proust kinda changed my life.

[@jamesgrey13]

I need a self-help book to help myself get into self-help books!

[@brycekindall4564]

I'm typically pretty critical of the school of life, but I think you guys nailed it with this one.

[@haruka1378]

I love school of life’s self help books and videos. It’s realistic and kind.

[@oaoj835]

that's not true. you can "self-help" someone with a good fiction book. emotionally educate them through humane stories.

[@valeriaalvesss]

Hi from Brazil! Love this channel 🇧🇷😄

[@WardenChult]

I don't seek out these books but I was actually given a copy of The Nerdist Way from a secret santa this christmas. He grabbed it for me as it helped him personally and I seemed to have been the target demographic for it, artistic and nerdy. So far I've been enjoying these tips and writing in my journal every day to keep up with these practices. Didn't think they were universally shat on by people.

[@anyi2676]

This video really give me power to move on. Thanks.

[@Deliciasdelahumanity]

The school of life you guys always have good topics , i mean topics i tought unconciusly

[@baotrambelle]

This video did not get the rep it deserves

[@joealias2594]

I agree with this to an extent. I think we have to acknowledge that the current "self-help" section deserves its reputation to a large extent. Most of them are fancy vocabularies for nothing more than this: 1. The placebo effect 2. The basic fact that trying to improve yourself--however you do it--leads to a sense of purpose and is preferable to letting yourself waste away 3. The novelty effect (the sensation of hope that this will work, before it's been given a fair try) 4. The basic fact that it is possible to think of virtually any situation in a positive or a negative way. These things can all leads to improvements in one's immediate situations, but that doesn't justify delivering them to you inside a house built on a foundation of pure pseudoscience, as most of these are. Additionally, many of them also critically leave out these other basic facts about self-improvement 1. That you don't learn how to be better, you *train* yourself to be better. That means that, while following the advice of these books seems easy while you are reading them, without some expectation-setting, instructions for long-term practice, and methods of remaining accountable and evaluating your progress, then the effect lasts as long as it takes to read the book. 2. That there is no route to the solution of your problems that does not go through both an honest acknowledgement of the reality of your problems and the flaws that cause them, and a vulnerable experience of your feelings. You can't skip this, but many of these books make it seem like solving your problem is mechanical: do the steps and after that you'll be fixed, and that no actual unpleasant experience is necessary. Maybe this is the cause of why self-help is poorly regarded. Or, maybe if self-help were well-regarded, we would have higher standards and wouldn't let them get away with so much nonsense.

[@synsynsy]

"Get out of your mind and into your life" by Steven Hayes is my recommendation to you all (as if giving a gift). Its a mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy book with a big emphasis on values, has science support not only wisdom. Read it and afterwards apply it in your life. You've just created a path...

[@PCWorld2ady]

First I would like to thank you for this book, so tell me what are the tangible fruits you have directly experienced from this book?

[@BaronStVon]

In my opinion, I think the reason the genre is not viewed the best is due to the fact that there are a lot of poor works/non-qualified authors. If there were a stricter barrier to entry when it came to being a "guru" or educator in the space, I believe it would innately be held much higher

[@xzonia1]

The little books in this video were adorable! X)

[@MikeMHeafy]

I totally agree with you TSoL books and literature have ultimately an ambitious and immensely precious purpose: to help ourselves live a better life. No matter if it's a Self-help book, a novel or an essay. Books can help you and teach you a lot. If you want to lead a better happier and fulfilled life, books are a great tool for that.

[@meowmeow9677]

Why is it called self-help? Its just HELP.

[@ailithic5448]

Ok so seneca's on anger opens some blaring misconceptions about infatuation with antagonistic behaviors and disturbingly references things we take for granted today.I think it closes alot of gaps of knowledge for things like bullying behavior. The main thought I came up with to consolidate the book is "Is good, good enough", not in a passive contentive way but as a question you might ask your self if you are "wanting for check". It's a must read, be it translated from Italian and using long lost words :).

[@Psi2023rio]

Academics probably won´t support the idea but I agree. But, of course, we should know the difference between good self help books and bad ones. That´s the most important

[@cervgiovanni]

Amen Todays age has a good amount of people who read self help. Especially Americans. I encourage all. I myself am a reader of Tim Ferriss, a self pronounced student and advocate of Seneca's Stoicism and a major pusher for Marcus Aurelius writings. Happy New Years all. This video completed my year's reading list.

[@magicdaveable]

I read Emotional Intelligence a while back. It was interesting. These days learning to survive in the deep woods is of utmost importance.

[@frankm.2850]

Since Emperor Marcus Aurelius never intended the Meditations to be published, you could reasonably argue that he didn't write a self-help book. Unless you want to argue that any adult who's kept a diary that went beyond "this is how I spent my time today and who I spent it with" has written a self-help book.

[@PrincessPteridactal]

I thought the main reason self help books were ridiculed was due to how they often use emotional manipulation in an attempt to make their reader feel inadequate unless they use their product i.e reading another book that they've wrote or using a product they are trying to sell. In this regard it is in fact doing the exact opposite of it desired effect similar to how magazines will often target a young insecure audience.

[@ananthu_krishna]

Wow, really nice animations.

[@JackyValentine129]

Ok but really the running sound at 3:19 is the cutest

[@revolutionaryhealing9992]

My favourite self-help books are the power of now, you were not born to suffer, a return to love, transform your life: a blissful journey, and the power

[@JoRiver11]

It is similar in visual arts. In my experience, one wouldn't be taken seriously if their work was overtly spiritually meaningful. (I use the word 'spiritually' rather loosely). Though to be fair, a lot of the more woo-woo work is heavy on the woo-woo but light on the technical skill within the chosen medium.

[@hamfood9658]

I love school of life but sort of laughed hard how the video was very precise and elegant and then at the end, the image of the self-help book school of life sells .. . . :P

[@banisan2035]

I believe we've still got a long way to go in teaching the world that emotional intelligence - and therefore emotional education - is just as vital as any other form of intelligence.

[@davidsopher6856]

Very good way to present this topic. Myself i dont read self help books based on the fact that a self help book is infact a lie in its self. By reading one you are gaining outside help and not "self helping" yourself.....

[@listengort88]

I have been writing self-help non-fiction spiritual books since I was 18. Now I'm 30. So I'm a Greek marketing manager bringing emotional thing

[@nicolasbascunan4013]

More philosophy, please

[@Jeppe0703]

It seems to me, that the problem with most self-help books today is that they offer individual solutions to structural/ societal issues.

[@182LadiesMan]

The problem is sometimes (not always) self-help book only tell us what we have known, and they telling it over and over again in whole book from beginning to the end. There's many self-help books that just rely it's sale on people's insecurity, not the quality of the content itself It's like, "Okay i should be optimist, but should I?, let's buy a self-help book to make myself sure that i have to be optimist" Don't get me wrong i myself love to read a good self-help book like 'Meditation by Marcus Aurelius' etc

[@MrCordycep]

They tend to peddle quick-fixes, the type that convinces people they don't have a problem and any of failure they've experienced, or any personal shortcomings they have is the fault of society (or at least somebody else). However, if there are self-help books that aren't what I described above, i would be grateful for people to provide titles along with their opinion.

[@alexmar1382]

It's not the books; the problem is people. They expect result just because they read a book. You need to apply and actually take Action. Most people don't because they lack discipline and develop bad habits; it's called laziness.

[@agnesseigot4312]

I was shocked by the intro bec its not how its viewed today then i saw 5 yrs ago damn it really changed

[@theAvaNJames]

Simple but effective tips!

[@princesscandy1998]

okay but who else wanted to hug that cute little self-help book cos it looked so sad

[@maggitPL]

Please don't compare Plato to such 'classic' literary pieces as "The Secret".

[@Taofik953]

as the great George Carlin said "That's not self help... That's help!"

[@OneEyedMonkey9000]

Most "self-help" books just repeat a few truisms, a few dangerous ideas and lots of anecdotes telling you how amazing the author is. Sometimes they also spend the first few chapters telling you that this is not a self-help book. That's what I have in my mind when someone mentions a self-help book. It could be so much more of course...

[@Parsi-Pedia]

is it right that we should always depend ourselves to self help book? l think its addictive because when ever you face a problem so how could you solve it without a self help book?

[@dlovee828]

Always been my favorite genre

[@yingli9094]

At least the reason I read is to know myself better. Sometimes through literature and sometimes through self-help.

[@limeslush1e]

why am i seeing this? i have adblocker turned on

[@NadDew]

Ouch!! 😂😂😂👍

[@meldixon]

I’m sure I’m not the only one who will comment regarding the label of ‘self-help’; overall it seems it’s the label of the genre that has become seen as undesirable, since it tends to declare the need for help, using the preface of the the term ‘self’. I think it would be for more ‘helpful’ if we began to discard the genre labels given to books. I didn’t read many beautiful and timeless novels and philosophical texts because in my working-class background I always saw them as something I would have a struggle to read, because they are only for intelligent and academic persons. I think the reverse happens in the ‘self-help’ genre. Maybe it’s time to begin to see written works on what they can offer, instead of basing genre stereotypes on their readership.

[@mohamedwalidbelahdji3744]

I will not judge all of them, because some of them are priceless like the 7 habits. But why they had been criticized is they provide false information without evidence like the law of attraction, and most of the time they give pieces of advice that suck and don't work. At the end, I'm not talking about all of them, but most of them.

[@Jeff-bm4lb]

My favourite book ever is the picture of dorian gray by Oscar wilde. It left me speechless at how intricate every line was, whats your favourite book?

[@soslothful]

I rarely make such choices, too limiting. Flippantly I'd say, "The Zen of Farting". More seriously, "Demon Haunted World", "1601", "Transcendental Temptation".

[@_.Infinity._]

Yes true. Here's a funny experience, once my librarian said me... Read more

[@_.Infinity._]

Good to know you noticed.

[@PCWorld2ady]

I go to a bookshop looking for some philsophy and history books and all that I can see is shelves full of Self-help books.

[@neillaquian6068]

Self-help books are not really that bad, and they are good advice, especially from people of great experiences. The only thing is: Most of them doesn't really give much solutions in real life and situations. There is fine line between attracting positive forces, and thinking reasonably to handle a situation, the latter is obvious way.

[@eugenefrankmd5433]

"First hand experience. Books are awesome! But remember to go out and execute those practices. REPLY No, I do not reject such self-help out of hand: so I fully accepted your advice on direct, right hand, experience: but, in hand, it was a disaster, I am allergic to the lubricant...and he could not get his hand through he Skype filter...the swelling was terrible...

[@tonyridler5314]

If we fail, to help ourselves, we will be hopeless👐

[@bijgiean]

I think the better word for this sort of book is “self-improvement”

[@mandilkarki4802]

i just finished "how to win friends and influence people" and going through " think and grow rich" the second time over

[@lucs6666]

I don't believe that self help books are hated to the extent described in this video. Evidence should be presented with such a claim.

[@oberstul1941]

You shouldn't fret, Mr Alain. We like your self-help books.

[@jessicaveeno]

the sound at 3:16 made my day