Neuroticism and Self-Help – a Marriage From Hell?

 

Neuroticism is a personality trait. And it’s not a particularly pleasant trait for those who experience a high level of it.

 

Neuroticism refers to a long-term tendency to be in a negative or anxious mood. People high in neuroticism tend to feel negative emotions more often. People who are lucky enough to be naturally low in neuroticism tend to be happier and to experience lighter moods more commonly.

 

The Curse of Being High In Neuroticism

 

Highly neurotic people have a tendency to focus on what they perceive as being wrong with the world and with themselves. They often veer towards being ‘glass half empty’ people.

 

Neurotics are overly-fearful, overly-distrusting of themselves and others, overly-self-conscious, overly-worried about potential negative consequences, overly-self-critical, overly-other-critical.

 

Blessed With Low Neuroticism

 

People who are low in neuroticism tend to have a happier demeanour. They get stressed less easily. They are content with themselves and the world. They accept their imperfections and flaws. They are less fearful and anxious and more able to be themselves in the world. They are comfortable in their own skin.

 

The Neurotic’s Painful Quest to Perfect Themselves

 

Neurotic people are painfully aware of their perceived flaws. They rail against their imperfections. They crave to iron out their kinks and perfect themselves.

 

Because people who are high in neuroticism are more self-critical, over-concerned with how their lives are going, and fearful of failing and not living ‘optimally’, it is reasonable to assume that a lot of neurotics consume fairly large quantities of self-help material.

 

Anecdotally, the least neurotic people that we know consume next to zero self-help material. They simply don’t see the point. They are happy with themselves. They have no festering wounds to heal, no big problems to fix. Life is already breezy and beautiful for these lucky folks!

 

Neurotic Addiction to Self-Help Material

 

But for neurotic people who spend a lot of their time consuming self-help material,