27 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
Jordan Peterson's 2018 guide — presenting 12 rules for living (from 'Stand up straight' to 'Tell the truth') each elaborated through evolutionary biology, Jungian psychology, religious mythology, and personal narrative — the best-selling self-help book of 2018.
A self-help guide to understanding and healing anxious attachment patterns in relationships — drawing on attachment theory for a popular audience.
Jordan Peterson's 2021 sequel to 12 Rules for Life — presenting 12 additional rules with emphasis on the danger of too much order (rigidity, totalitarianism) as a complement to the first book's focus on the danger of too much chaos.
John Delony's framework for living with less anxiety — presenting six specific choices that create the conditions for a calmer, more connected life.
American writer and lecturer whose How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936) and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living (1948) founded the American self-help genre — selling tens of millions of copies and creating the model for every interpersonal communication and influence book since.
L. Ron Hubbard's 1950 self-help text — claiming that mental health issues derive from 'engrams' (traumatic memory traces) that can be cleared through 'auditing' — which launched Scientology and remains the foundational text of the movement.
Anna Lembke's 2021 book — explaining addiction through the brain's dopamine balance mechanism and arguing that modern life's overabundance of pleasure-inducing stimuli has triggered a mass addiction epidemic — a clinical psychiatrist's account that became a popular bestseller.
Catherine Price's 2018 practical guide to reducing smartphone dependency — combining the behavioral science of phone addiction with a 30-day plan for establishing a healthier relationship with technology.
Dale Carnegie's 1948 self-help book presenting practical techniques for reducing chronic worry — including defining the worst case, living in day-tight compartments, and keeping busy — one of the bestselling self-help books of the 20th century.
Dale Carnegie's guide to winning people's cooperation and friendship — one of the best-selling books of the 20th century, still in print after 90 years.
Tucker Max and evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller's guide to male attractiveness — applying evolutionary psychology to practical dating advice.
Marcus Aurelius's private philosophical journal — written in Greek to himself during military campaigns — never intended for publication — which is now the most read Stoic text and one of the most read philosophy books in history.
American author — whose Think and Grow Rich (1937) is one of the best-selling self-help books of all time (100M+ copies) — who built his success philosophy on claimed interviews with Andrew Carnegie — despite evidence that many of his claims were fabricated.
John Delony's practical guide to mental health and relationships — drawing on neuroscience, attachment theory, and clinical experience for a popular Christian audience.
Tim Grover's account of the psychology of elite athletic performance — drawing on his work training Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade.
Tim Ferriss's guide to escaping the 9-5 and designing a life of maximum experience with minimum work — through outsourcing, automation, and geographic arbitrage.
Timothy Ferriss's 2007 manifesto — arguing that the goal of work should be lifestyle design (maximum free time, minimum obligatory work), achievable through virtual assistants, outsourcing, and location independence — which spent 7 years on the NYT bestseller list.
Stephen Covey's 1989 self-help book presenting seven principles of personal and interpersonal effectiveness — including Be Proactive, Begin With the End in Mind, and Seek First to Understand — which sold over 40 million copies and became the most influential business self-help book.
A practical guide to difficult conversations by trial lawyer and social media communicator Jefferson Fisher — focused on speaking calmly and confidently in high-stakes situations.
Ryan Holiday's 2014 guide to Stoic philosophy — arguing that obstacles contain opportunities when approached with perception, action, and will — the book that initiated the modern Stoicism self-help revival.
Mark Manson's 2016 self-help book arguing that the pursuit of positivity is itself the problem — that a good life comes from choosing meaningful problems to struggle with rather than trying to eliminate struggle.
Napoleon Hill's 1937 success philosophy — synthesizing 13 principles (desire, faith, autosuggestion, etc.) claimed to be derived from interviews with 500 successful people including Carnegie — one of the best-selling books of all time at 100M+ copies.
American author, podcaster, and investor — author of The 4-Hour Workweek — host of The Tim Ferriss Show — early investor in Uber, Twitter, Facebook, and Shopify — who created the lifestyle design genre and the long-form interview podcast model.
A distillation of Tim Ferriss's interviews with over 200 world-class performers — organized by Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise — presenting the tactics, routines, and habits of the most successful people in various fields.
Tim Ferriss's collection of answers to 11 standard questions from 130 world-class performers across every domain — a companion to Tools of Titans.
Tim Grover's follow-up to Relentless — a more fully developed account of the winning mindset and its implications for business, sports, and life.
The Art of the Deal is a book that belongs to the era of 1980s business and self-help, embodying the entrepreneurial spirit of the time and offering insights into deal-making and negotiation strategies.