If Books Could Kill

Peter and Michael discuss The Let Them Theory, a self-help guide to seeking bliss through unmitigated complacency. Where to find us:  * Peter's newsletter [https://stringinamaze.net/] * Peter's other podcast, 5-4 [https://www.fivefourpod.com/] * Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] Sources: * How to stop screwing yourself over [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp7E973zozc] * Mel Robbins and Plagiarism [https://sagejustice.substack.com/p/mel-robbins-and-plagiarism] * Let her? Army wife claims Mel Robbins stole her idea for blockbuster self-help book [https://nypost.com/2025/03/12/lifestyle/army-wife-claims-mel-robbins-stole-her-idea-let-them-book/]  * Mel Robbins’s “Let Them” theory: really that simple? [https://www.vox.com/culture/402666/mel-robbins-let-them-theory-self-help-guru-tik-tok] * Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10741869/]  * Polarization in America [https://goodauthority.org/news/what-is-polarization-good-to-know/] * The 5 Resets [https://www.draditi.com/the-five-resets-book]  * Impact of health warning labels on selection and consumption of food and alcohol products: systematic review with meta-analysis [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8635708/] Thanks to Mindseye [https://mindseye-music.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-beyond-the-clouds-2] for our theme song!

To hear the rest of the episode, support us on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod]: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod [https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod]

Are you a single lady struggling to find love with a man? Don't fret! A twice-divorced game show host who thinks conversation is for women is here to help. Where to find us:  * Peter's newsletter [https://stringinamaze.net/] * Peter's other podcast, 5-4 [https://www.fivefourpod.com/] * Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] Thanks to Mindseye [https://mindseye-music.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-beyond-the-clouds-2] for our theme song!

Who's to blame for the crisis of American masculinity? On the right, politicians tell men that they being oppressed by feminists and must reassert their manhood by supporting an authoritarian regime. And on the left, users of social media are often very irritating to people who write airport books.   Where to find us:  * Peter's newsletter [https://stringinamaze.net/] * Peter's other podcast, 5-4 [https://www.fivefourpod.com/] * Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] Sources: * Conscientiousness as a Predictor of the Gender Gap in Academic Achievement [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9379878/] * Gender Differences in Scholastic Achievement: A Meta-Analysis [https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-a0036620.pdf] * Early Childhood Behavior Problems and the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment in the United States [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6208359/] * Where The Boys Aren’t [https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w8964/w8964.pdf] * The gender achievement gap in grades and standardised tests [https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sociology/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1448488/full] * The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents [https://planusa-org-staging.s3.amazonaws.com/public/uploads/2021/04/state-of-gender-equality-summary-2018.pdf] * Highlights of women’s earnings in 2023 [https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-earnings/2023/] * The gender gap in educational outcomes in Norway [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328759687_The_gender_gap_in_educational_outcomes_in_Norway] * Social Influences And The Gender Gap In Disruptive Behavior [https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w17541/w17541.pdf] * Family Disadvantage and the Gender Gap [https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20170571] * What might interrupt men's suicide? [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4611172/] * As Women Take Over a Male-Dominated Field, the Pay Drops [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/upshot/as-women-take-over-a-male-dominated-field-the-pay-drops.html] * The Cost of Caring [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/000271629956100103] * Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? [https://www.educationnext.org/is-your-child-ready-kindergarten-redshirting-may-do-more-harm-than-good/] * Age of Entry to Kindergarten and Children’s Academic Achievement [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2140009/] * The Effect of Age at School Entry on Reading Achievement Scores  [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/074193259001100209] * Beyond the Pros and Cons of Redshirting [https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/08/beyond-the-pros-and-cons-of-redshirting/401159/] * Self- Control and the Developing Brain [https://www.bu.edu/cdl/files/2013/08/Tarullo-Obradovic-Gunnar-2009.pdf] * Importance of Sex Differences in Impulse Control and Addictions [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4332159/] * It is a myth that boys lag behind in brain development [https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2019/02/boys-lag-behind-in-brain-development-is-a-myth] Thanks to Mindseye [https://mindseye-music.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-beyond-the-clouds-2] for our theme song!

Peter and Michael dissect Jen Sincero's "You are a Badass," a book that answers the question: What if "The Secret" was written in the painful, try-hard style of "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck"? Featuring a surprise digression about Sincero's other, even worse books. Where to find us:  * Peter's other podcast, 5-4 [https://www.fivefourpod.com/] * Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase [https://www.maintenancephase.com/] Sources: * Savy Writes Books [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9WShNx2HsXRGjj9F593HzA] Thanks to Mindseye [https://mindseye-music.bandcamp.com/track/the-place-beyond-the-clouds-2] for our theme song!