Mark Manson
How to Make Friends as an Adult
Romantic relationships get all the attention, but I'd argue that friendships are just as...
3 weeks ago
Romantic relationships get all the attention, but I'd argue that friendships are just as important—if not more so—for our health and happiness.
Just like with romantic relationships, creating fulfilling, lasting friendships as an adult can be really hard.
But… Why?
I mean, sure,...
Mark Manson
Pain Is Part of the Process
https://youtu.be/c3uoyCNIa5c
You've probably never heard of Kazimierz Dąbrowski.
He was a...
a week ago
https://youtu.be/c3uoyCNIa5c
You've probably never heard of Kazimierz Dąbrowski.
He was a psychologist from the 1940s with a fascinating background. He studied with Freud's contemporaries in Vienna, worked with mentally ill patients, participated in the Polish resistance during...
Mark Manson
Why I Quit Drinking Alcohol
After more than two decades of drinking, last summer, I decided to stop drinking alcohol for good....
a week ago
After more than two decades of drinking, last summer, I decided to stop drinking alcohol for good. There were a lot of reasons for this, and obviously, there were benefits—I lost some weight, slept better at night, and no more ungodly hangovers.
But also some life changes...
Mark Manson
Trigger Warning: Reality Hurts
Years ago, many readers wrote to me complaining that I didn’t include trigger warnings in my...
8 months ago
Years ago, many readers wrote to me complaining that I didn’t include trigger warnings in my articles. This was 2014-15 or so. The trigger warning thing had become popular on university campuses and left-leaning news sites. Given that at the time many of my readers were young...
Mark Manson
3 Principles for a Better Life
I used to have a newsletter with the pitch, “3 Ideas That Can Change Your Life.” For years, I sent...
11 months ago
I used to have a newsletter with the pitch, “3 Ideas That Can Change Your Life.” For years, I sent out emails in that format: three ideas—one, two, three—thank you, drive through.
News flash: I've got a new weekly newsletter now called The Breakthrough where I send out ideas and...
Mark Manson
A Practical Guide to Modern Dating
So you've thrown yourself into the modern dating pool, eh? You brave, brave soul.
Look, I know...
5 months ago
So you've thrown yourself into the modern dating pool, eh? You brave, brave soul.
Look, I know meeting new people, going on dates, figuring out if you even like the person sitting across from you—it can all be confusing, frustrating, and just exhausting at times.
But before you...
Mark Manson
The Outrage Cycle
The Outrage Begins
First Hour: Journalists scramble to disseminate news of the Significant Event far...
a year ago
The Outrage Begins
First Hour: Journalists scramble to disseminate news of the Significant Event far and wide. Most of this happens on Twitter, but placeholder web pages are thrown together on various news sites and cable news channels interrupt the latest car chase to give you...
Mark Manson
Why Your Favorite Self-Help Book Sucks
https://youtu.be/hQB3viVFhPA
Yes, yes—I know you think that one book you read that one time changed...
2 days ago
https://youtu.be/hQB3viVFhPA
Yes, yes—I know you think that one book you read that one time changed your life.
Hell, maybe that was even my book.
And don't get me wrong, self-help books can help, but I think people mistake what they're actually doing.
Let me break this down for...
Mark Manson
An Unconventional Guide to Happiness
Every day, we're bombarded with messages telling us that we need to be happy all the time—and that,...
7 months ago
Every day, we're bombarded with messages telling us that we need to be happy all the time—and that, in order to be happy, we need the perfect job, the perfect partner, the perfect life. And we're made to think that anything less than perfect happiness is a failure.
But the...
Mark Manson
The Power (and Limitations) of Self-Belief
In 1959, a surgeon named Leonard Cobb called bullshit. At the time, the most common procedure to...
a year ago
In 1959, a surgeon named Leonard Cobb called bullshit. At the time, the most common procedure to help people with chest pain caused by heart disease was something called “internal mammary artery ligation,” where basically, they would intentionally close one of the main arteries...
Mark Manson
Everyone Is Mostly the Same… (And Why This Is Good News)
I started my first blog in 2007. By 2011, writing and publishing online was my full-time job. By...
a year ago
I started my first blog in 2007. By 2011, writing and publishing online was my full-time job. By 2013, that writing was being read by over a million people each month. And while the exact number has fluctuated over the years, that still remains true.
Early on in my career, as you...
Mark Manson
Why Skills Matter More Than Goals
Welcome to the first Monday of the new year. It’s 2022 and if you’re like me, it still feels like...
a year ago
Welcome to the first Monday of the new year. It’s 2022 and if you’re like me, it still feels like 2019 was last year. Talk about a mindfuck.
This is that time of year where most productive and growth-minded people sit down and focus on their goals, their identity, and who they...
Mark Manson
Motivation: What It Is, How It Works, and Where to Find It
We all want to be motivated. We want to feel energized and excited about the things we do. We want...
6 months ago
We all want to be motivated. We want to feel energized and excited about the things we do. We want to wake up in the morning with a sense of purpose and drive, ready to tackle the day ahead.
But the truth is, motivation is not always easy to come by.
We tell ourselves lies about...
Mark Manson
Are You Entertained—Or Addicted?
In David Foster Wallace’s classic novel, Infinite Jest, there's a movie that is so entertaining that...
10 months ago
In David Foster Wallace’s classic novel, Infinite Jest, there's a movie that is so entertaining that anyone who views even a small portion of it will give up all desire to do anything else in life in order to keep watching. Throughout the book, characters who see it give up...
Mark Manson
Why Growth Requires Struggle
I get a lot of reader questions about pain, trauma, challenge, and struggle. Most of these questions...
7 months ago
I get a lot of reader questions about pain, trauma, challenge, and struggle. Most of these questions were some variation of, “Is there such a thing as being exposed to too much pain?” or “Are there situations where pain and struggle aren’t helpful but only hurtful?” or “What...
Mark Manson
The Point Is to Stop
Years ago, I wrote an article that claimed the best way to judge the usefulness of self-help advice...
a year ago
Years ago, I wrote an article that claimed the best way to judge the usefulness of self-help advice is by how many people eventually leave it behind. In it, I boldly claimed that if self-help advice actually worked, the industry would quickly go out of business. After all, if the...
Mark Manson
4 Fascinating Psychological Theories That Explain Your Whole Life
Welcome, dear readers, to a mind-bending adventure into the labyrinth of the human psyche. We're...
4 months ago
Welcome, dear readers, to a mind-bending adventure into the labyrinth of the human psyche. We're going to embark on an odyssey through the catacombs of cognition, the jungles of the subconscious, and a wild ride into the boundless depths of human behavior—with four psychological...
Mark Manson
My Response to Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock
Last weekend, Will Smith walked on stage at the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock for making a joke...
a year ago
Last weekend, Will Smith walked on stage at the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife. Since that moment, my phone and inbox have been inundated non-stop with people (friends, family, readers, journalists) wanting my “take” on the situation. After all, I...
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