Everyone has goals. Maybe it’s to wake up earlier, to not be chronically late, to improve mental health or to relax a little more. Amid hustle culture, I gave into a fad — the idea that one book would change my life or propel a journey of self-growth that I had never experienced before. I did a quick Google search for the best self-help books, and “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear consistently appeared. Expecting it to help me achieve my goals, I quickly purchased my first self-help book.

Currently, I’m in the process of reading it a second time. I enjoy the book because Clear creates a digestible framework on how to build habits: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy and make it satisfying. His philosophy is that to create habits, you must start at an atomic (small) level to eventually create an impact like an atomic bomb.

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Based on my interpretation, Clear doesn’t push an ideology onto the reader. He doesn’t encourage the reader to pursue activities such as waking up at 6 a.m. to go on a jog. He doesn’t try to promote a toxic mindset or highly idealized version of self-improvement. Rather, he provides tools to create the habit the reader desires.

However, it’s important to note that “Atomic Habits” and Clear aren’t infallible. He often gives examples of prospective habits that readers might want to pursue for inspiration. I found one example potentially triggering for readers. Throughout his book, he seems to generalize — and perhaps even assumes — that most of his audience want to lose weight (or that weight loss is always the end goal). This mindset pulls from stereotypes that skinniness correlates with healthiness and negatively contributes to diet culture and its narrative. He rarely, if at all, addresses the flip side: building habits for weight gain. 

Self-help books are extremely lucrative. The industry was worth around $13 billion back in 2022, according to NBC News, and “Atomic Habits” is just one of many self-help books on the market. But, “Atomic Habits” and its (un)intended consequences are a microcosm of the effects of self-help books, which can sometimes do more damage than good. 

In a Forbes article, psychologist Mark Travers warns readers about the problematic effects of self-help books. He quotes a study that reveals that consumers of growth-oriented self-help books “presented increased cortisol reactivity to a psychosocial stressor” and that consumers of problem-focused self-help books “presented higher depressive symptomatology” compared to other groups. 

Travers says that there is no “one-size-fits-all approach to mental health,” and that readers can fall into a cycle of constantly seeking self-help materials, which can be seen as “an addiction of its own.”

Self-help books, as the name suggests, can also be helpful. Caroline Harris, a clinical psychologist, says that tools such as “apps or books can be beneficial to some people at the right time.” According to researcher Amber Gwynne, whose work focuses on self-help books and reader reception, a good self-help book “‘[takes] readers seriously’ and [allows] them to ‘connect the dots’ for themselves … they [can] help with depression if you [know] what to expect of them – and when the worst symptoms [have] already passed.”

In my experience, I found “Atomic Habits” refreshing, and Clear’s personal anecdotes about how he overcame his traumatic brain injury were motivating. But readers have to take everything with a grain of salt: I kept notes only on what was helpful and applicable to me.

Everyone’s self-improvement journey is different and takes on various forms. Self-help books may offer insightful advice, but it’s ultimately up to the individual to choose what works best for themself. No one understands the complexities of your life other than you.