The self-help industry is full of repetitive advice. Books on familiar topics, regular newsletters of similar advice, daily journals, daily emails, and more recurring content are commonly published. And the business model seems to be working for both publishers and consumers. The self-improvement market is worth about $13.4 billion according to a report from September of last year, and its products seem to be well received.
To take a personal example, I frequently read the Daily Stoic email. In this email, author Ryan Holiday tells stories and gives insights from the Stoics (ancient philosophers) each day. I’ve read plenty of Holiday’s work, and I’ve read multiple books from the ancient Stoics. So, the core messages of these emails are often not new to me. Still, I benefit from reading them almost every morning.
And it’s not just me and other self-help enthusiasts that hear repetitive advice. Think of the tradition of religion. People go to church each week to listen to someone talk about the same religious texts over and over again. After a few years, the frequent church-goer is bound to hear some reruns. But, are religious people demanding new content? Not exactly. The lessons stay fresh to the audience despite their often repetitive material.
In our daily lives, we often give repetitive advice to ourselves. If you journal, go to therapy, or commonly discuss issues with a friend, you can probably relate to experiencing the same problems on repeat. A great example of this comes from ancient emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius, who wrote beautifully and profoundly in his journal Meditations about the same topics (resilience, virtue, patience, and more) page after page.
We Need Reminders
The reason why advice or self-help can be so repetitive is twofold: we’re forgetful and our problems are constantly evolving. So, whether we actually follow the advice “love thy neighbor” is dependent on how much we’ve internalized it and the quality of the neighbor.
We’re Forgetful
Consider how difficult it can be to remember the simplest things. We know we need a phone charger for our weekend getaway. We’d prefer to be able to take pictures and message our friends without worrying about our phone battery. And it’s not like it takes great effort to put a phone charger in a bag. Yet, we walk right out of the door and drive away from our house without one. Now we’ll have to borrow chargers from reluctant friends or buy a cheap one that will short out by the time we’re back from the trip.
It’s hard for us to remember something as simple as packing a phone charger. To bring one, we often need a checklist or a reminder. So, of course it’s going to be tough to follow advice like “be more compassionate” given the nuances and many applications of this advice. There are frequent barriers to following advice we resonate with – distraction, strong emotions, pressure to conform, etc. To embody the advice we praise, our following of it must be stronger than these barriers. Frequent reminders strengthen the idea in our minds.
Our Problems Evolve
It’s not enough to say that we need reminders of our favorite advice just because we’re forgetful. We also need repetitive advice because even though the advice stays the same, our personalities and circumstances change. Imagine you’ve had a sweet old lady as your neighbor for years. You had such a good relationship with this woman that the advice “love thy neighbor” was no longer necessary.
Then, after her children (who never visited her!) send her away to a nursing home, you get a new neighbor. This guy doesn’t mow his grass or clean up outside his house, he puts up hideous holiday decorations, and he blasts terrible music from his garage constantly. Given how infrequently you’ve needed the advice in years past and how much your present circumstances call for it, the quote “love thy neighbor” would resonate with you strongly, even though you’ve heard it before. The advice is the exact same, but its application is new.
The Plant Analogy
I find it’s useful to compare ideas in our minds to plants in a garden. Plants need water and sunlight regularly to flourish. Of course, daily water is a requirement of some plants, not all. Watering a cactus daily would be counterproductive.
Plants also need to be put in the right environment to survive. It’s unwise to try growing bananas in Antarctica, for example.
Ideas operate similarly. They often need regular attention just like plants need regular water and sunlight. And also like plants, regular attention is worthwhile for some ideas, but not all. People frequently read books, newsletters, blogs, and emails about being happier and more virtuous. Conversely, there are no newsletters titled “how to stop burning your hand on the stove.”
And just like plants need to be in the right environment, so do ideas. We may think that we’re immune to peer pressure. But, studies have demonstrated its power. We’d be wise to give our ideas the right environment to flourish. Avoid the casino while trying to cut back on gambling.
Plants and ideas also need their nourishment in moderation. It’s possible to overwhelm a plant with too much water, and it’s possible to overwhelm ourselves with too much advice. Cue the cliche advice: “everything in moderation.”
If we give ideas regular attention and a conducive environment, they’ll flourish in our minds like tomatoes in our neighbor’s garden. You know, the one who’s always spontaneously bringing over vegetables and complaining about rabbits.