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Thinking Fast and Slow came out in 2011. Also there is recent work showing that some of its conclusions may be flawed due to failure to replicate. Self help b

by sjg007 7y ago

Thinking Fast and Slow came out in 2011. Also there is recent work showing that some of its conclusions may be flawed due to failure to replicate. Self help books are not all bad. The early ones around cognitive behavioral therapy have been proven to help in scientific studies. I would look to ones that have scientific basis. That being said the placebo effect is very powerful.

deleted 7y ago
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tarboreus 7y ago
He decided to write a self-help book because every other self-help book draws on his research. And, surprise, it became a best-seller. But yes, sorry, if he'd actually written a bestseller earlier probably fewer Malcom Gladwell knock-offs would have used the research for their bestsellers. The 20 years comment is based on the Nobel prize winning research, not the book itself. Also, I don't really mean to knock self-help. There are a few actual winners there, especially if you're willing to engage with a book as a process. How to Win Friends and Influence People is kind of dumb and obvious, but it's simultaneously true that a huge number of people would benefit from reading it and actually practicing the advice. For the original poster's question, however, these books tend not to be far higher value than blog posts, etc., and in general I wouldn't hold them up as exemplars of how books are valuable.
sixdimensional 7y ago
Any recommendation for the early CBT books you mentioned?
- sitkack 7y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppenwolf_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppenwolf_(novel)
- sjg007 7y ago
  Feeling Good by Dr. David Burns.
  - adamsea 7y ago
    Seconded. There is also “The dialectical behavior therapy skills workbook”. “Changing for Good” I highly recommend in general. It’s a very straightforward description of a model for behavior change and based on research as to how people quit smoking, both on their own and with the help of some sort of program. https://hams.cc/ch5/ https://hams.cc/ch5/

by sjg007 7y ago

deleted 7y ago

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tarboreus 7y ago

He decided to write a self-help book because every other self-help book draws on his research. And, surprise, it became a best-seller. But yes, sorry, if he'd actually written a bestseller earlier probably fewer Malcom Gladwell knock-offs would have used the research for their bestsellers. The 20 years comment is based on the Nobel prize winning research, not the book itself. Also, I don't really mean to knock self-help. There are a few actual winners there, especially if you're willing to engage with a book as a process. How to Win Friends and Influence People is kind of dumb and obvious, but it's simultaneously true that a huge number of people would benefit from reading it and actually practicing the advice. For the original poster's question, however, these books tend not to be far higher value than blog posts, etc., and in general I wouldn't hold them up as exemplars of how books are valuable.

sixdimensional 7y ago

Any recommendation for the early CBT books you mentioned?

sitkack 7y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppenwolf_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppenwolf_(novel)
sjg007 7y ago
Feeling Good by Dr. David Burns.
- adamsea 7y ago
  Seconded. There is also “The dialectical behavior therapy skills workbook”. “Changing for Good” I highly recommend in general. It’s a very straightforward description of a model for behavior change and based on research as to how people quit smoking, both on their own and with the help of some sort of program. https://hams.cc/ch5/ https://hams.cc/ch5/