Are Self-Help Books Just Repeating The Same Advice? Let's Discuss What You Think

Roughly 90% of self-help books contain the same advice repeated over and over. Don't believe me? Stop by your local bookstore sometime and read the Table of Contents of a dozen or so self-help books. The advice may be worded differently or geared toward a specific target audience (e.g., men, women, various ethnic and social groups), but the underlying message is pretty much always the same. Here's a PDF list of that advice.

The Value of Self-Help Books

Self-help books are at least better than negative thoughts and people. They give people hope. It's how you use them rather than reading them like a textbook or a storybook.

Oh! By the way, I still use them and have found them to be beneficial. I have also lent such books to my friends to help them improve their lives.

"Better to light a candle than curse the darkness."

It is not about whether self-help books carry the same advice. It is about how it is said differently each time. All of us react to things differently. "You Can Win" might appeal to a certain set of readers and "Unlimited Power" to some others.

Let me give an example - someone might say that psychologists do the same thing: provide space, listen to the client, and support them to find their own way. Just by knowing the 'what' is not sufficient. It is the HOW that matters. The law of attraction was known to everyone, but why was only "The Secret" such a success?

People shall keep on reading self-help books, and they might find the same things told to them in a different manner. Probably something new shall click and make more sense.

I completely agree. I wonder, all these books talk about spirituality, a balanced lifestyle, no hunger for money and brand, helping others, being selfless, being ethical, thinking about others, and self-discipline—all of these things have been known to us for ages. But the question is, who follows them? Even the authors, they stay in the US or abroad, fly business class, go on holiday, and enjoy a lavish lifestyle. Even as they talk about sages and Indian spiritualism, their children study in top-notch international schools. So, I do not trust what they preach, talk about, and what they follow. Pardon me if I sound very complaining or critical, but this is a fact.