New year, new opportunities – time to become a better person. Perhaps it would be good to read a book or two about how it should be done. Of the self-help books that top the lists, there are, among other things, books about how you can stress less, how you should eat, how you can concentrate and how to get to know your mental health better. But if you want to borrow one of the attractive self-help books, you have to stand far back in the queue. In several libraries, there is a waiting time of up to a year. At the Deichman library in Oslo alone, there are over 900 on the waiting list to borrow Marit Kolby’s “What and when shall we eat?” – I think you always have a desire to get better. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that we live in a culture where there is a great focus on achieving one’s goals, says Sofie Birgitte Andersen. Andersen works at the Sølvberget library in Stavanger city center and has a keen eye for self-help books. Sofie Birgitte Andersen has read many self-help books. Photo: Maja Mathisen / news She has lost count of how many self-help books she has read, but thinks it is close to 60 books since she first got a taste for the genre. – I got a little hooked on the feeling of productivity it gives me. It’s a bit silly, but you feel productive when you read self-help books. At Sølvberget, 1,094 loans of self-help books were registered last year alone. These are some of the self-help books people would most like to read at the moment – Especially at the start of the year Vibeke Viland runs Norli in Langgata in Sandnes. When the calendar shows a new year, the hall tables are filled with self-help books. Day-to-day manager in Norli Langgata, Vibeke Viland, notices particularly high traffic after the New Year. Photo: Maja Mathisen / news – Especially at the beginning of the year, we notice a lot of activity, when people have new ideas and New Year’s resolutions. She points to the table in front of her. – Half the table here is just self-help books. So it’s popular! For the past eight years, it has been a natural part of a new year to present the books on self-development. But the demand is increasing every year. – I think a lot of it comes from the media. You get tips both on TikTok and other channels that spread like wildfire. – Not surprised Psychologist Egon Hagen is not surprised at how many people want to read self-help books. But he thinks it is important that one is aware of the feeling of always wanting to get better. Psychologist Egon Hagen. Photo: Maja Mathisen / news – You cannot live a life where you always want to be someone else or try to live a different life than the one you have. Not thinking all the way that if you do something else, then you will be happy. But he still thinks it’s not a bad idea to set goals. – Having something to strive for, if you think it’s inspiring, I think is nice. – Can be a disadvantage Both Viland and Andersen believe that the high demand also comes from the fact that we constantly want to improve. Andersen thinks this is not necessarily only good. – I think the disadvantage is that one can become overly obsessed with trying to live as best as possible. Then one forgets to actually live. As a culture, we tend to want to achieve more all the time, and then I think self-help books reinforce that feeling. Self-help books have become popular on, among other things, TikTok. Photo: Maja Mathisen / news Hi! Do you have any input or thoughts about the case you have read? Is there something that interests you that I should take a closer look at? Then I would like to hear from you!
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The waiting lists for self-help books are up to a year long and hundreds are queuing – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
