In this opinion piece, reporter Kateryna Nevska examines the value and effectiveness of self-help books to evaluate whether they are actually as beneficial as people expect.
You’ve made a New Year’s resolution to finally focus on yourself, and TikTok is fortunately brimming with self-help books promising to change your life for the better. Titles such as ‘How to talk to anyone’ by Leil Lowndres, ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear and ‘Overcoming Anxiety and Depression’ by Bob Phillips now allow you to kill two birds with one stone, healing your inner child while exercising or walking to class. This genre has promptly climbed its way to the top of the bookshelves of self-growth fanatics and those looking to improve their lives. Self-help literature is a subgenre that seeks to solve all of your issues, from mundane everyday tasks to potentially replacing a much-needed therapist.
A lot of these books have been around for quite a while, with one of the most popular releases being Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People,’ published in 1936. Although self-help books were always popular, the genre has become more wide-read due to Gen Z-ers growing up and striving for personal development and fulfillment. As the genre keeps expanding, a large number of books are being published early without the thorough editing that they require. As I see it, some of them are poorly written and without any particular psychological or scientific data to support their claims. This raises an important question: is self-help literature a reliable resource to solve your problems, and is it actually worth your time?
Self-help literature generally falls into two main categories: problem-solving strategies and growth-oriented techniques. However, we can’t forget the more detailed subcategories such as how-to books and progression books. On the surface level, problem-solving books tend to focus on offering advice on overcoming specific issues such as anxiety or stress, whereas growth-oriented literature aims to share ‘wisdom’ with the reader. From experience, a lot of these books follow a similar structure and use relaxed, easy-to-follow language, often addressing the reader in a humorous way. Personally, I have delved into the world of both subcategories through ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’ by Mark Manson and ‘How to Talk to Anyone’.
My first impression as I explored the realm of self-growth was that these books were easy to read and follow, being straight to the point and not taking up a lot of time. Throughout each chapter, I found myself immersed in the literature and forgetting that I was even reading a non-fiction book. It felt as if the book was directly speaking to me, breaking the barrier between the reader and the author. Scramble therapy was one of the techniques that I encountered during ‘How to Talk to Anyone’; once a month, you do something new and spontaneous. The book called the shots, and during the two months of such ‘therapy’ I met up with different people, attended museums, and overall put myself out there in a new way. Although I can’t say for certain whether these techniques worked for me or completely removed any feelings of anxiety, the fact that these strategies were included in a book that millions of other people have read gave me reassurance that this would be effective. Some would call it ‘confirmation bias’ but I believe that this is exactly what the book aimed to do; it left me feeling confident and more in tune with myself.