Self-help meets real science

[pesco]

[Permalink]

[technogeekagain]

A ****load of bogosity in the video examples. If that’s typical of the book, it’s in the “burn before reading” category.

[marlboromonkey7]

This one is :59, does it mean the next will be longer? Because I’ll be prepared to accept it. NOT.

[brian_carnell]

Pesco writes

Richard Wiseman is the professor of Public Understanding of Psychology at the UK’s University of Hertfordshire. His last book, Paranormality: Why We See What Isn’t There, was about the psychology of so-called supernatural experiences. His newest book, 59 Seconds: Change Your Life In Under A Minute…

Paranormality was published in 2011. 59 Seconds was published in 2010. Unless there’s been a major change in how integers are ordered, I believe Paranormality is Wiseman’s newest book.

And as Technogeek notes, the book has its moments of bogosity. Better than your average self-help book to be sure, but not the myth-busting ode to rationality it promises either.

[TornPaperNapkin]

Wow, these make a lot of strange assumptions.

[pesco]

Thanks! Fixed!

[noneeeed]

Like what?

I’m not an expert in psychology so I’m intrigued as to what problems I’m missing in the video.

[timquinn]

Hey David,

May I post one character on BoingBoing’s front page?

Pretty Please?

How about; may I post one character on BoingBoing’s front page because reasons?

Thanks so much.

[jasonsrobot]

I’ve always wondered how learning something or getting instruction from a book gets to be called ‘self-help’.

It’s literally the reader being helped by someone else (ie the author).
The only probable way a self-help book is ‘self-help’ is if the reader is also the author.

[anon67050589]

It means there’s no chance someone might see you going into a – horror of horrors – therapist’s office.

[anon68287401]

all self help is bs

[daneel]

Self improvement is masturbation.

[anon68287401]

heh i should point out that I’m trying the “Playing cards against Humanity” thread - the rule is to post in two unrelated threads so that their names make a joke on the leaderboard of the most-recently-commented threads. For all I know, perhaps Self-help is not akin self indulgent circle jerk. YMMV.