It does resonate with me. Having lived in Japan for a year I got a huge amount of benefit from it. I think the author dismisses too quickly the benefits of livi

It does resonate with me. Having lived in Japan for a year I got a huge amount of benefit from it. I think the author dismisses too quickly the benefits of living and being exposed to a culture different from your own, as it acts as a new reference point for the rest of your life. If you've spent all your life in one country than living in another can really open up your mind in a genuine way. Not to mention learning a new language and being exposed to new things (like my love of karaoke and baths, not to mention tons of manga I never knew about) And personally giving up my friends and living in a new environment forced me to adapt and become more social and less anxious. It had a huge positive effect on my confidence. I made friends different to the types of friends I had before. I did things I had never done before. So yeah, if you end up reverting your 'baseline' then it won't help, and I can definitely understand that - I'll never be an extrovert, I'll always value having a few good friends and spending a lot of time alone - but that doesn't mean it can't be profoundly helpful for getting you out of a rut.