From Big Think.

This interview is an episode from ‪The Well‬, our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the ‪John Templeton Foundation‬.

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Self-help tells us that we can fix anything with the right mindset, the right habits, the right 5-step plan. But what if that belief is doing more harm than good?

Historian Kate Bowler traces the deep roots of America’s obsession with self-making — from prosperity gospel theology to the endless productivity hacks of optimization culture. She explains how self-help promises control over things that are fundamentally fragile: our health, our time, our relationships, our lives.

The trouble is, we’re not machines to be upgraded. We’re human: breakable, dependent, and mortal. And any belief system that denies that will ultimately fail us.

Read the video transcript ►https://bigthink.com/the-well/the-case-against-self-help/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description_bigthink

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About Kate Bowler:
Kate Bowler is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, award-winning podcast host, and Professor of Religious History at Duke University.

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About The Well
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