Fiction Is Better Than Self Help (why I never liked self help books) 

Sadly, every time one thinks of non-fiction one thinks of self-help books, very rarely one thinks about philosophy, pop science, or biographies. Apparently, these books help more in improving oneself than the so-called self-help guides. Hopefully, more people listen to this video ❤

Problem with self help book is: people don't stick to one book but try to use many books to change themselves......😮😮😮😮

So here is the thing, I started my reading journey with a nonfiction book..and here I am, fallen in love with reading because of fiction.. that's the power of a good fiction book❤ Edit: I truly admire your work Shruti..love from West Bengal❤

I absolutely agree! I am not a big fan of self-help books. Fiction in many cases are not just stories, but one can learn a lot as it has a lot of element of truth, history, scientific facts etc. Also, the message is best conveyed when it's told through POV of characters and stories. A few examples are: Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks enlightened me about the war tactics used in world war 1, Seven moons of Mali Almeida talked about the riots that marred Sri Lanka in the 80s, The Midnight's Children beautifully depicts the political scene in India right after independence, Dark Matter a science fiction, educated me about the Schrodinger Cat experiment. I have learnt so much from these fiction, and these are just a few examples. Thanks Shruti, for making this much needed video.

Happy to see you back, making youtube videos 🤍

I read 7 habbits.. Monk who sold his.. Power of subconscious mind.. Subtle art and all.. Was never convinced. But then i switched to fiction and there was no way back 1. Fiction books keep you engaged. Its a brain exercise because you need to remember the events for next session of reading. 2. Scenario based learning. 3. The more you switch between authors, the more your brain benefits from reading as style changes moulding your way you interact with different styled people. 3. Fiction books that have character based chapters help your brain engage in knowing how will person think based on his nature. 4. More empathy through reading fiction. 5. They are fun.

You and your way of explaining stupendous.❤

Great video Shruti❤❤

Thank you so much shruti for pointing this out! For me, real life motivation and self realization >>> self help books

100% agree with every single word you said. So true what you said about self help books offering cookie cutter solutions, no two people think the same so I feel these books are pointless. Also people follow the book's advice without proper guidance from qualified people and when they dont see the results the book promised, it leads to bigger issues in my opinion. And its truly sad that non fiction has now been reduced to only self help books. There is so much more to explore like you said. I am a hardcore fiction reader, occassionally dabbling in non fiction, mostly memoirs and autobiographies. My dad is a voracious non fiction reader, mostly reads political/ journalistic books. I love how beautifully you articulated the issues with self help books. I could never put it this way to people who argue i should read self help books. Will show your video next time someone bugs me to read self help books 😂

I 100% agree with the title💕

I really agree with you didi .......

I agree with you 💯

I couldn't agree more . I mean people think reading self help " non fiction" in general is "intellectual" ...I feel reading is nothing to do with intelligence...it's about a source of entertainment. Or a source of research.....no one should make you feel less reader or inferior because you like your kind of genre...if one does then they seriously have some issues I am sorry..I always feel " read whatever you like...just read" read or watch anything makes you happy and entertains you..and you feel content with your utilisation of your leisure time. I have seen people shaming saying " you have a bad taste if you enjoy y/a books" i mean if a kids book is getting an adult into reading, if a y/a is getting someone out of their reading slump then who arr you to shame us judge us for reading the genre we like? Booktalks and book tubes are getting toxic these days Shruti. I want to tell you that you are the one book tuber that i am subscribed to ...and i enjoy your videos and love them....keep good care of yourself ❤❤❤ happy reading ❤

I've felt the same way too; I never really understood why some or most of the people consider reading non-fiction as productive and fiction as a waste of time when, in reality, stories have a deep impact on us.

One of the best videos on this topic, completly agree. I was a self help books addict but after sometime... They all say what we already know but are afraid or lazy of doing. Like eating less and exercise more to lose weight. We already know that. Fiction is totally different and some really challenge our world view

I don't agree that self help books don't help they are helpful if you put those learnings into action they are science based, psychology based knowledge how human brain works & every author is not saying the things you want to achieve will come to you sooner if you follow them they are just perspective of people in different ways. Example: I read Atomic Habits & it helped me to develop a workout habit that I've been following since 2 months . Conclusion: self help books are helpful if you put action on it.

I never read a self help book nor I am gonna be . I feel like Self-help books give wrong and sometimes harmful advice, they give false hope, they make uncertain people just feel worse about themselves also if they already work, it is not because of the advices given in the self-help books, but because of the fact that people pay attention to something that they didn't pay attention to before.

Well the bigger issue of younger generation is that they read no books!

Reading non fiction is really like reading academic books. I have some non fiction collection especially self help books and I haven't read anyone of them till the date. Your videos are addictive. I frequently check RU-vid for your videos(even though I get notifications whenever you post them). They are a motivation for me to read books whenever I am in a reading slump.😄 Looking forward for more videos❤️

You opened my eyes! Started reading 1 year now I had to start with self-help books cause i have insecurities which is rightly pointed me to buy such self-help books to feed my unsuccessful feeling. ... After having a shelf Full of self-help books now I'm still same but I've became fast reader.... Your video is an eye-opener for me now I'm going to continue reading Just to feel good about reading nd finishing a book. Making new shelf for graphic novels now😊

Just today I removed around 40 self help books from my (600+) tbr!! I think only a handful of self help books are good and I think I have already read them. Also, I think lot of popular self help books have intriguing titles that makes people buy them.

@fandomnewbie self help books of good authors are backed by research, you can check yourself. Reading them increases your intellectual, psychological, decision making knowledge, it changes perspective of one towards life makes them more humble and ground to earth. Reading them makes new neurons connection in the brain which improves cognition whereas reading fiction or imaginary stories just gives dopamine shot, it doesn't improves cognition

Hi Shruti didi can u recommend me novels where the story goes through journal entries. I hope u get what i am trying to tell

Just started reading non fiction books again after a long gap & then you put this video online 😜 lol

She is talking my inner words in her voice.

No, I do not agree with you on some things. If a book not giving you anything new, then pick up that book read a little and leave it. Self-help books are like therapy sessions. You've to take action against things that bother you. And also every book is not for everyone. Fantasy/Fiction books are my favourite but self-help books also help me with some(not all) critical things in my life. So People shouldn't stop reading self-help books because you told them to. It's their choice. Only share your thoughts about why you stopped reading those books.

Please do a review of Percy Jackson and the chalice of gods...

I agree to most of points you made, except some of your opinions regarding self help books, where I could sense, being from a business major, that you don't know the basics of economics.

Cant agree more Shruti I started reading several self help books and now been saturated and bored So i sarted to enjoy Fiction books and finished of my first fiction book “the Alchemist " now want to read Book on ROMANCE can you just one for the beginners book on romance preferably by indian author please

You cannot claim that fiction is superior to non-fiction. Fiction can offer readers amusement, escape, and understanding of the human condition by letting them examine other viewpoints and experiences. Self-help books, on the other hand, provide helpful tips, methods, and resources for developing oneself and solving problems. Each genre has advantages and disadvantages, and what is ultimately "better" depends on the needs and goals of the individual.