Self-Help Junkies, Stupid Experts, and the Worst Life Advice I've Ever Heard

Are you addicted to self-improvement? Are experts really any better than the rest of us at knowing how to make positive changes in our lives? What are some common pieces of life advice that just don't seem to work? Drew and I tackle all of these questions today in our brand new, updated format for the pod. Find out why self-help can turn into pseudo-religion (and why we should bring back exorcisms), whether or not a huge mega-study by a bunch of fancy experts can tell us anything about behavioral change, and some common self-improvement tropes that just don't do it for us. Here's the study we discuss in Brilliant or Bullshit: https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%2... Let us know what you think of the new show format in the comments below. And sign up for Your Next Breakthrough, my weekly newsletter that will help you be a slightly less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough Got a question for us? Leave it in the comments below or send it to [email protected] 00:00 New show format 03:15 The F*ck of the Week: When self-improvement turns into addiction (or a cult) 17:06 Brilliant or Bullshit? Do experts actually know what they're talking about? 31:13 Your Questions Answered: Life advice that doesn't work? My stuff:   / markmanson     / iammarkmanson     / markmansonnet     / markmanson     / iammarkmanson   Theme Song: Icarus Lives by ‪@Periphery‬, used with permission from Periphery.