Is this legit?

Yes. Go read it. Tell us what you think of it afterwards

Pretty much this.

kek

some parts aren't bad, i mean i only skimmed a few sections. its a pretty common self help book. the lame title is dated and seems really stupid but it's not all bad

i mean sometimes u need to hear "actually be interested in other people because they only like to talk about themselves" and u need to hear it from a source that can be taken to heart and not skimmed ("i already knew that!") i took it to heart when i was 18 and i'm a far better listener than most ppl r irl and it's definitely been a great help. most people only like the sound of their voice (kinda like me online) but being able to use that for gainz irl is deffo useful

Yeah this.

It’s a must read if you’re completely socially inept to the point you can’t communicate at work. Yknkw if you’re too meek and let people walk on you or too combative or just a general autist in a workplace where interacting with others matters.

Yep. Still a good read, though.

Teaches you some basics for social cooperation. Not gonna make you prom king though.

More like how to be a beta and have others influence you

It's "legit" in the sense that it basically created the self-help industry, fbofw. A lot of its advice holds up, but as it's regularly pointed out, may seem "obvious" today and more career-focused than its title lets on.

There are better options out there now. I'm guessing you're drawn to the book not because you want to boost your career, but because you're withdrawn, lonely and socially awkward. Books/"training" that promise an easy fix will only go so far, and might even get you stuck in an outside-the-system sense of detachment/disillusionment that "fixes" superficial social issues but exacerbates deeper internal ones (this is very evident in PUA circles).

Do things that improve your overall happiness first and foremost, which range from improving your diet/activities, to doing specific exercises like gratitude journals and mindfulness exercises (if you think this sounds super gay, you're right, self-help is super gay by default). If your baseline mood is fucked, you're not going to have the energy/drive to improve your social life.

Once you start feeling even a little better (don't wait for nirvana/bliss/perfect moments), push yourself a bit outside your comfort zone and start getting out more. Go to places related to your interests and allow yourself time to get comfortable just being there doing something solitary (like browsing at a bookstore). Might take repeated visits, and don't feel obliged to socialize. Eventually you might be comfortable enough to make small talk or hold short conversations when it feels appropriate. Do this on a regular basis and you might feel comfortable enough to do something more involved like go to a reading or join a book club. Give yourself time, be patient and don't be overly self-critical.

People can usually tell when they’re being manipulated so this book really doesn’t help at all if you’re a sociopath looking to gain some new tricks.

How's 'How to talk to anyone' by Liel Lowndes?

It works but then it makes you realize how goddam awful most people are

, totally agree,

There are small things that people do from this book like parroting what you say to show that they're really listening or using your name 10 times in a conversation. If you know about them, you can spot them a mile away and it makes you immediatley mistrust whoever's doing it. If you watch someone that doesnt know these 'tricks' talk to someone using them, you can see them slowly start to realise that they're talking to a slimeball even if they can't say why. Take advice from this book with a pinch of salt.

no.

this book became so popular that it got integrated into society. we live in a post howtowinfriends world. now following it just makes you look gimmicky and cheesy and beta

anyone who doesn't have a natural understanding the things in this book by the time theyre old enough to read it is either autistic or a jackass

so probably pretty useful to the average Veeky Forums reader

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if you're using it as a tool to amplify your true self, then yes its a pretty essential read

if you're using it to be fake, then it won't work very well. you should also consider books like these as a way to defend yourself instead of acting on others

it's a very gay book

this is a general rule for when being coached in rhetoric and pursuasion of any kind. you need to occult what you’re doing or people get an uncanny feeling which makes them assume you’re a social cheater. we’ve evolved to despise social cheaters because they depress fitness and can get us killed while stealing resources. But, you can, with some care taken, basically use these tricks on stupid people in the workplace and more informal mixed social situatuons where there is less backlash for manipulation. I had friends growing up who were sociopathic and this was how they broke into large groups of people, basically NLP social gaming. Its despicable but not broken, humans are dullards mostly, you could do all kinds of things to them without their knowledge easily.

I agree with these comments. There are certain people that will benefit from it. If you can't talk to your neighbors about petty shit like the weather or what kind of grill you use, you should read it. It's a great book for guys with asperger's or guys who are very introverted. It's worth reading the wikipedia summary. The book is mostly shit like, "the best way to win an argument is to avoid one."

William Gaddis made fun of this in The Recognitions