Do Self-Improvement Books Have Anything To Offer?
The 10 Best-Selling Self-Help Books: The Verdict
Are you trying to win friends, influence people, lock in good habits or start living a fulfilled life? Love them or hate them, self-improvement books are big business. An estimated 10 million self-help books sell yearly in the US alone (1).
We can attribute the popularity of self-help books to various psychological factors. Some of these include:
An innate desire for personal growth (2, 3)
Cognitive dissonance reduction (4)
Social comparison (4, 5)
The pursuit of hope and optimism (6, 7).
Self-help books continue to appeal to a broad audience by attempting to address these needs. Many authors, from Dale Carnegie and Mark Manson to Eckhart Tolle and Marie Kondo have international profiles thanks to this genre.
Read This Book?
Many successful people endorse using self-help texts for living a life well. However, others are more sceptical. The seven habits of highly effective people or Viktor Frankl's account of Nazi concentration camps? This literary landscape is confusing.
It is difficult to identify reliable advice. So how do you identify the great reads? Moreover, numerous ‘success principles' and concepts (e.g., 'grit', Susan Cain) are promoted for a better life.
This article helps decipher the subtle art of evaluating popular self-help books. First, I have examined the key message in the ten biggest-selling personal development books of all time. I then outline the key criticisms of each publication.
Next, I summarise the themes across these books. And finally, I list some alternative atomic habits for self-improvement with actual scientific backing.
The Target Books
Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill
Hill emphasises the importance of a strong desire, faith, and persistence in achieving success. He also underlines the value of having a definite purpose and a mastermind group to support your goals.
Lesson: A strong desire, faith, and persistence are essential to success.
Criticism: A lack of evidence for the effectiveness of the principles (8). The book may alienate those with little or no spiritual inclination.
This novel teaches that one should listen to their heart. One should also follow their dreams and believe in the power of the universe to achieve Personal Legend.
Lesson: Listen to your heart, follow your dreams, and believe in the power of the universe.
Criticism: The book is a work of fiction, and its lessons are subjective and based on personal beliefs (9).
You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay
Hay's book focuses on the power of positive affirmations and self-love. She stresses that our thoughts and beliefs can manifest into physical ailments or well-being.
Lesson: The power of positive affirmations and self-love.
Criticism: Too much emphasis on the mind-body connection and limited consideration of external health factors. (10)
Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki
Kiyosaki emphasises the importance of financial education, explaining the difference between working for money and making money work for you. He advocates investing in assets and learning from failures.
Lesson: The importance of financial education.
Criticism: An -of financial concepts. There is also the potential promotion of risky investment strategies (11).
Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson
Johnson's story is a metaphor for change, illustrating the need to adapt, overcome fear, and embrace new opportunities for personal growth.
Lesson: Embrace change and overcome fear.
Criticism: Limited application to complex real-life situations. There is a potential oversimplification of change management (12).
The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield
Redfield's novel offers nine spiritual insights. He focuses on the connections in life and the importance of being present, aware, and receptive to synchronicities.
Lesson: The interconnectedness of life and the importance of being present.
Criticism: Lack of empirical evidence for the insights. There is the potential promotion of pseudoscience (13).
Byrne's book centres around the law of attraction. She asserts that our thoughts and emotions attract our experiences and that positive thinking can bring positive outcomes.
Lesson: The Law of Attraction and the power of positive thinking.
Criticism: Over-simplification of the law of attraction. There is also the potential neglect of external factors influencing life outcomes (14).
The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale
Peale advocates for cultivating an optimistic mindset. He also promotes visualisation, prayer, and affirmations to overcome obstacles and achieve success.
Lesson: Cultivate optimism and use techniques to overcome obstacles.
Criticism: Overemphasis on the benefits of positive thinking, neglecting potential adverse effects (15).
Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen
This collection of inspiring stories emphasises the power of kindness, perseverance, and personal growth, encouraging readers to learn from others' experiences.
Lesson: The power of kindness, perseverance, and personal growth.
Criticism: Anecdotal evidence and potential lack of generalisability to a broad audience (10).
The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz
Ruiz presents four principles for personal freedom. These are-
'Be impeccable with your word',
'Don't take anything personally' (easier said than done),
'Don't make assumptions', and
'Always do your best'.
Lesson: Four principles for personal freedom- be honest, avoid assumptions, don't take things personally, and always do your best.
Criticism: The principles emerge from personal beliefs and spiritual concepts, which may not resonate with everyone (16).
Key Themes
We can observe four main themes from these ten books:
The Power of Positive Thinking: Many books on this list promote optimism and positive thinking as the key to success. Research suggests a positive mindset can indeed improve health, increase resilience, and enhance problem-solving skills to some degree (7, 17). But, relentless positive thinking can be damaging, as illustrated in the book The Happiness Trap (Russ Harris). Furthermore, the evidence for affirmations is mixed at best.
Embracing Change and Adaptability: Several books emphasise the importance of embracing change and being adaptable. Studies suggest that adaptability is crucial for success and well-being (18).
The Importance of Goal Setting: A clear theme in these books is the value of setting goals and having a purpose. Research supports the positive impact of goal setting on motivation and achievement (19).
The Power of Visualisation: Visualisation is a common tool recommended by these authors. Scientific evidence indicates that visualisation can enhance motivation, increase confidence, and improve performance (20).
The Criticisms
So, there are plenty of criticisms you can raise about these books. The two main recurrent problems are:
Over-simplification
People are complex, and so is the world we live in. However, there is great appeal in hearing simple advice to address the issues that concern us. We want answers that provide hope and a 'just do it' response to challenges.
It's a no-brainer: Any savvy aspiring Guru will push a basic, memorable message. However, simplicity is a marketing strategy, not a means to enhance well-being and success.
Don't let this appealing but self-defeating mindset seduce you. You CAN develop increasingly sophisticated psychological skills over time. Just take things step-by-step. Don't try to run before you can walk.
Lack of evidence (data) or scientific explanation (theory) to support claims and strategies
One of the things I like about my profession is the need to back-up words and actions with evidence. There is no accountability without this requirement. People can say whatever the hell they want and call it truth.
I am not saying that these books have no credibility. Many have helpful content. However, there are too many unverified claims. This matters when discussing people's health, success and happiness.
The Stuff You Can Use
I have tried to cut through the dubious content and find useful, practical strategies in these books. Here is what I have found.
Think and Grow Rich
Set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals. SMART goals can be a useful and effective framework. However, you should be aware that there are several concerns with this method (21).
The Alchemist
Practice mindfulness meditation. This approach is effective for improving many physical and psychological conditions. However, we need to improve the quality of evaluation studies (22).
You Can Heal Your Life
Utilise self-compassion. Some good evidence that this strategy is helpful for several medical and mental health issues (e.g., 23).
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Create a budget. Can be useful, but need more high-quality studies to make more certain conclusions (24).
Who Moved My Cheese?
Identify areas where you resist change, and develop a plan to expose yourself to new experiences gradually. ‘Exposure therapy’ is a well-established component of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) (e.g., 25). Also, taking yourself out of your comfort zone in a controlled, planned manner can be useful.
The Celestine Prophecy
Engage in yoga or meditation. Yoga is a well-supported intervention for many issues (e.g., 26).
The Power of Positive Thinking
Practice reframing negative thoughts. Cognitive restructuring is a well-established component of CBT.
Incorporate gratitude into your daily routine. There is evidence that gratitude is an effective well-being tool (27).
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Perform random acts of kindness. Some evidence that acts of kindness benefit the actor (28).
The Four Agreements
Avoid making assumptions. This can be a ‘thinking error’ or heuristic that leads to difficulties. Again, CBT is a well-established talking therapy that focuses heavily on modifying unhelpful thinking patterns.
Summary
The self-help book genre continues to enjoy immense popularity. The most popular books in this area focus on themes with at least some merit. However, human psychology tends to be over-simplified (e.g., positive thinking is always good), as does life in general. In addition, a paucity of supporting evidence suggests we must care when using this material.
Despite these limitations, we do see some effective strategies promoted. Continued use of these tactics over the long term gives you the best chance of sustained benefits and a better life.
We are Coaching & Clinical Psychologists with extensive experience helping people conquer a range of wellbeing and performance issues at home and in the workplace. Read more about our work, watch practical skills videos or browse other articles. Get in touch anytime.
References:
(1) https://wordsrated.com/self-help-books-statistics/
(2) Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396.
(3) Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.
(4) Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford University Press.
(5) Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529.
(6) Snyder, C. R., Harris, C., Anderson, J. R., Holleran, S. A., Irving, L. M., Sigmon, S. T., ... & Harney, P. (1991). The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(4), 570-585.
(7) Seligman, M. E. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. Free Press.
(8) Stutzer, A., & Frey, B. S. (2010). Recent developments in the economics of happiness: A selective overview. IZA Discussion Paper No. 4850.
(9) Gray, J. (2007). Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
(10) Lilienfeld, S. O., Lynn, S. J., & Lohr, J. M. (Eds.). (2014). Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology. Guilford Publications.
(11) Campbell, J. Y., & Shiller, R. J. (1998). Valuation Ratios and the Long-Run Stock Market Outlook. The Journal of Portfolio Management, 24(2), 11-26.
(12) Burnes, B. (2004). Kurt Lewin and the Planned Approach to Change: A Re-appraisal. Journal of Management Studies, 41(6), 977-1002.
(13) Beyerstein, B. L. (2001). Fringe psychotherapies: The public at risk. The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, 5(2), 70-79.
(14) Richard Wiseman, (2010). The As If Principle: The Radically New Approach to Changing Your Life. Free Press.
(15) Grant, A. M., & Schwartz, B. (2011). Too much of a good thing: The challenge and opportunity of the inverted U. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(1), 61-76.
(16) Christopher, J. C., & Hickinbottom, S. (2008). Positive psychology, ethnocentrism, and the disguised ideology of individualism. Theory & Psychology, 18(5), 563-589.
(17) Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The how of happiness: A scientific approach to getting the life you want. Penguin Press.
(18) Martin, A. J., Nejad, H., Colmar, S., & Liem, G. A. (2012). Adaptability: Conceptual and empirical perspectives on responses to change, novelty and uncertainty. Australian Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 22(1), 58-81.
(19) Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey. American Psychologist, 57(9), 705-717.
(20) Driskell, J. E., Copper, C., & Moran, A. (1994). Does mental practice enhance performance? Journal of Applied Psychology, 79(4), 481-492.
(21) Christian Swann, Patricia C. Jackman, Alex Lawrence, Rebecca M. Hawkins, Scott G. Goddard, Ollie Williamson, Matthew J. Schweickle, Stewart A. Vella, Simon Rosenbaum & Panteleimon Ekkekakis (2022) The (over)use of SMART goals for physical activity promotion: A narrative review and critique, Health Psychology Review, DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2021.2023608
(22) Zhang, D., P Lee, E. K., W Mak, E. C., Ho, C. Y., & S Wong, S. Y. Mindfulness-based interventions: An overall review. British Medical Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldab005
(23) Kılıç, A., Hudson, J., McCracken, L. M., Ruparelia, R., Fawson, S., & Hughes, L. D. (2021). A Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Self-Compassion-Related Interventions for Individuals With Chronic Physical Health Conditions. Behavior therapy, 52(3), 607–625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2020.08.001
(24) Webber, Martin, Treacy, Samantha, Carr, Sarah et al. (2014) The effectiveness of personal budgets for people with mental health problems : a systematic review. Journal of mental health (Abingdon, England). pp. 146-55.
(25) Huang, T., Li, H., Tan, S. et al. The efficacy and acceptability of exposure therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry 22, 259 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-03867-6
(26) Ciezar-Andersen, S. D., Hayden, K. A., & King-Shier, K. M. (2021). A systematic review of yoga interventions for helping health professionals and students. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 58, 102704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2021.102704
(27) Boggiss, A. L., Consedine, N. S., Brenton-Peters, J. M., Hofman, P. L., & Serlachius, A. S. (2020). A systematic review of gratitude interventions: Effects on physical health and health behaviors. Journal of psychosomatic research, 135, 110165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.110165
(28) Curry, O. S., Rowland, L. A., Van Lissa, C. J., Zlotowitz, S., McAlaney, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2018). Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 76, 320-329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.02.014
