PRINTFinding help in the hype
How to navigate the self-help section’s highs and lows
Courtesy of Penguin Group (USA)
The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky
April 30, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Only in the self-help section can someone learn how to think like a woman, make a million dollars in a month and learn the secrets of self-hypnosis. With so many options on the shelves, it might be hard to distinguish the books that offer sound advice and those that fill the pages with enough fluff to stuff a pillow. But Columbia’s experts are here to help.
Love Connections
Getting the Love You Want by Harville Hendrix
Fire Your Stock Analyst! by Harry Domash
The Volumetrics Eating Plan by Barbara Rolls
Having trouble in paradise? Rest assured there are more books to help than there are problems that two people can have with each other. From overcoming intimacy issues to decoding body language, these books claim to offer the best ways to get the most out of a relationship. “I think self-help books are great,” says Jan Wheeler, a psychologist at the Center for Family and Individual Counseling. However, Wheeler’s problem is that many couples are unwilling or unable to apply the suggested advice.
But books can’t always fix it all. “When there is a significant problem in a relationship, they need more than just a book,” says Beth Parker, a licensed clinical social worker at Body Mind Connections. Still, Parker suggests reading Harville Hendrix’s Getting the Love You Want. “It works on baggage people come into a relationship with.” Hendrix counsels based on his experience in a failed marriage.
Money Worries
Earning a quick buck is a tempting thing, especially now. Although becoming a millionaire overnight sounds nice, odds are a book won’t help you achieve that goal. “Promises that sound too good to be true usually are,” says Mary Wilkerson, vice president of marketing for Boone County National Bank.
With some books guaranteeing the road to easy riches, it can be hard not to believe the hype. But Wall Street isn’t a simple place. “In order for a person to be successful at investing, they need to learn the process on their own,” says Mike Greim, chief investment officer at Landmark Bank. Wilkerson says, “Go to legitimate experts; read books by people with proven track records.”
Greim says, Fire Your Stock Analyst! by Harry Domash is a good pick for the novice investor: “It takes people through the process of stock selection. It also says you need to develop your own way.”
Nutrition Facts
Lingo in the diet world ranges from “low carb” to “super food” to “South Beach,” and nowhere is the diet frenzy perpetuated more than in the self-help section. “For the most part [weight-loss self-help books] are a hoax,” says Sally Stegemann, a dietician in Columbia. “There are some good ones, but most are a waste of money.” One issue nutritionists have with self-help books that deal with nutrition is their one-size-fits-all advice. “There is no cookie-cutter approach,” says Carolyn Borst, a nutritionist at Healthy Designs.
Stegemann says that when looking for a diet book, readers should be cautious of three red flags: books that promise quick and easy weight loss, books that insist on avoiding whole food groups and anything that tells the reader to use supplements.
Stegemann suggests reading The Volumetrics Eating Plan by Barbara Rolls. “It is a scientifically-based, sound weight-loss plan,” she says.
Positive Attitude
Problems people face in everyday life can often stem from a poor mental outlook. At least that’s what one aisle in the self-help section screams at the hapless reader in search of aid. From the power of positivity to a change in perception, these books aim to make the reader a better person by starting with the mind. “People who take them seriously and really try and follow their advice will probably get benefits,” says Ken Sheldon, a psychology professor at MU.
These benefits may stem from the placebo effect, but Sheldon says cognitive dissonance reasoning could also play a role. It’s when the reader thinks, “I have invested all this effort, so I have to have gotten something from it,” Sheldon says.
Sheldon suggests reading Sonja Lyubomirsky’s The How of Happiness. The scientifically backed book examines what happiness is to help the reader find it.
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