Written by Jenny Catton
The market for self-help books is huge – worth an estimated $8 billion a year in the USA alone. And with titles promising everything from beating depression and losing weight to finding love and lifelong happiness, the popularity of these books shows no sign of waning. But do they actually work?
Yes – Pamela
I’ve got shelves full of self-help books that I’ve collected over the years and I really value the help that they have given me. When I was in my 20s I was overweight, had a job I hated and felt unattractive, unconfident and insecure. I wanted to change my life but couldn’t afford to see a therapist and was too embarrassed to talk to my family and friends. Then I discovered self-help books and realised that whatever issues I was facing, millions of other people were dealing with the exact same problems. I suddenly felt less alone and realised that there were ways in which I could improve my life myself. I’ve since used various self-help books to tackle everything from my diet to my finances.
Self-help books are ideal for helping you face up to your problems. Although there are many on hundreds of different topics, all of them teach self-belief and empowerment and really focus the mind, giving practical advice on how to change your situation for the better.
For anyone who’s depressed or unsatisfied with any area of their life, there will be a book out there that can help. The trick is to not just read the book but to consciously act on the advice within it. Usually there will be steps or exercises to follow and by doing these you can achieve really powerful results. Some of my friends are sceptical about these kinds of books but for me, they are a cheaper, more convenient form of therapy and they can really work.
No – Bill
You only have to look at how many different self-help books there are on the shelves to know that they don’t work. They prey on people’s insecurities and promise to change their lives but in reality, they have little or no effect.
People get sucked in by the attractive titles that promise to make you happier, thinner, or richer but there’s no way a book can do this. Changing your life isn’t easy – it means changing your behaviour completely for the long-term. People read a book believing that it will make a difference but within a couple of weeks they have forgotten what they read and gone back to their old ways. Then they go on to buy the next book when it comes out – wasting their time and money again.
In more serious cases, I think self-help books can be quite dangerous as they can stop people from getting professional help which they may need. For example, someone who is depressed may seek answers within the pages of books when really they should be talking to their doctor and may need counselling or medication to deal with the issues they are facing. Books can give people false hope and then make them feel like a failure when nothing changes after reading the book.
If you have problems in your life, you either need to deal with them or seek professional help. Don’t waste your time on self-help books which are just there to take your money.
