Long CountdownNick Ramsay, blogging from Japan.

I don’t read many books. I usually prefer to strain my eyes and induce headaches by reading content on the web. Right now, however, I am half way through How to Win Friends and Influence People, a book written by Dale Carnegie in 1936!

Disclaimer: The above link is an Amazon affiliate link and yes, I am trying to make a quick buck off my readers. However, at least the photo shows I do actually own the book, unlike some people who recommend products they’ve never even bought, and right now you can get a used copy for a low as $0.01, so sue me!

Pass the mind control

Lately I’ve been reading up on brainwashing techniques, the rules of disinformation, and the psychology of influence and persuasion. Although such “powers” can be quite evil, wouldn’t it be amazing to have such control over people? Television shows are full of this stuff, putting you into a more suggestible state with timed beats, changes in volume and video that shifts your awareness from beta (left-side of the brain) to alpha (right-side).

Today’s media-oriented politicians and spellbinders are often carefully trained by a whole new breed of specialist who are using every trick in the book–both old and new–to manipulate you into accepting their candidate.

Brainwashing the dishes

Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People doesn’t get that heavy, focusing more on being a good listener, asking the right questions, and winning people over to your way of thinking. It may sound deceitful, but it’s all about being happy and making other people happy, so that’s got to be good, right?

First up, I’m going to practice on my wife. Maybe I can convince her that household chores are fun! Then, I’m going to see if I can use these tips to win a few text-based debates on the internet. Finally, I’ll try to woo my way into earning millions of billions of dollars, and getting elected president of a small country or something.

Do you read self-help books? If so, what kind? Have they actually helped you?