Social Skills And Self-Help Advice I Haven't Found That Helpful
Here are some types of social skills advice that I'm not very keen on. When I was working through my own social issues I found they didn't help all that much. I've seen other people claim they weren't useful for them either. Hopefully by telling you about them you can avoid some detours of your own. You'll notice a lot of the points below promise a fast or effortless solution.
Simple, "profound" insights or motivational snippets
I mean things like, "Imagine today was your last day on Earth. How would you act differently?", or "You just have to not care what other people think!", or "How would you live if you had no fear of failure?"
The issue I have with this type of advice is not that what it's saying is flawed, but that it's often implied that looking at things at a new angle will instantly realign your thought processes and solve your problems, which of course it won't. For example, in the long term if you can cultivate an attitude where you don't care how people see you you'll be better off for it. But you can't just read, "Don't care what people think!", suddenly have everything fall into place, and walk away a new person. Not every author presents it like this, but I've read my share of articles where some simple reframe is presented as the key to fixing a complex problem.
When people read advice like this they can sometimes get a cheap, fleeting boost in confidence and motivation. Going too far with chasing that feeling can lead to something I informally call "epiphany addiction".
Vague advice like "Be yourself" or "Just be confident" or "Just have fun"
This type of advice is similar to the one above, but is meant to be more of a straightforward suggestion than a way to shift your mindset and pump you up. I find it doesn't work that well because it's either too vague or too easier-said-than-done. You can interpret "be yourself" in a dozen different ways, some of them more helpful than others. And you can't just flick a switch in your brain and "be confident". Changing your mentality like that takes time.
Short related article: Why People Can Give Vague, Unhelpful Social Advice
Positive general traits suggested as if they're the single answer to fixing your social issues
For example, being authenthic or living your life on your own terms. It's great if you have these traits. They can lead you to act in an appealing manner. Many people find them attractive. However, even if you could become super-authentic tomorrow, that alone wouldn't fix your entire social life. Most people's problems are more complex than that. Also, advice like "be authentic" or "live your life for you, not anyone else" suffers from being vague and easier-said-than-done.
"Fake it 'til you make it" as a blanket solution
I think this oft-recommdend bit of advice can be useful, but only in certain contexts, for certain types of people. It's not a magic answer you can give to any social problem. I go into more detail here:
Does 'Fake It 'Til You Make It' Work For Improving Your Social Skills And Confidence?
When you go out just focus on entertaining yourself and everything will work out
The idea here is that if you're out somewhere, like at a party or bar, it's not good if you're self-conscious and worried about impressing everyone. The antidote is to focus on having fun with your friends and not worry what anyone else thinks. That's reasonable enough. It is better to put your mental energy into having a good time on your terms vs. trying to win over a bunch of strangers. That attitude could definitely make you give off a more confident, carefree air.
However, sometimes this advice implies that if you just try to joke around and amuse yourself and your buddies then everyone will be magnetically drawn to your self-assured, devil-may-care vibe. The fact is sometimes no one will notice or care if you're enjoying your evening with your friends. If your group's style of humor is odd or abrasive it may even put some people off.
General self-improvement advice like "Get in shape" or "Eat healthy", given as if they're the only things you need to do
Obviously taking care of yourself has many benefits. Like exercise can improve your mood and make you feel better about your appearance. What I take issue with is when people are told to "start going to the gym" and "get enough sleep" as if doing those things will make their social problems resolve themselves. Maybe if someone is mildly shy getting in shape and eating healthier could give them the tiny boost in confidence they need. If they have more serious social issues then they need specific advice that addresses their trouble spots.
Being a good listener and being interested in other people
This suggestion is everywhere. I hardly think it's totally useless, but it's definitely over-hyped. I talk about it more in this article:
Listening And Being Interested In People Isn't A Conversational Cure-All
The idea that if you're passionate about something you'll automatically be interesting
I think people have good intentions when they give this suggestion. It sounds like a rule that should apply in an ideal world. Of course it's great to feel passionate about a topic. Who doesn't have memories of getting caught up in someone's infectious enthusiasm for their hobby? But the fact is sometimes someone has passion for a subject, and most people just don't find it that interesting. Or it has potential, but they talk about it in a dry, unengaging way. Passion doesn't always translate to a captivating conversation style.
How To Win Friends And Influence People is the ultimate book for getting over social problems
I go into more detail in this article. I think the book is good. Plus, it's a quick read and it's easy to find a cheap copy. May as well pick it up at some point. I just don't think it's the one-and-only guide to people skills it's sometimes portrayed as.
Positive self-affirmations
You know, tell yourself that you're worthy, likable, awesome, attractive, etc several times a day. In time, the thinking goes, you'll mobilize your internal resources and make your dreams come to life. Personally, affirmations did nothing for me. When I first read about them in high school I decided to give them a shot. I said several affirmations to myself, many times a day. I felt good, and briefly psyched up. I kept it up for a few days before I started to forget the odd self-affirmation here and there. Within a week the words become a little meaningless and my brain started filtering them out. Not long after that I had forgotten to do them entirely.
Later on I started learning more about affirmations, and it fit my informal conclusion that they're not very helpful. Research has shown that they don't work for people with low self-confidence because the positive sayings contradict their core negative self-image, so their mind rejects them. And it's not just a matter of saying them even more to eventually grind down that resistance. It takes more to change than repeating statements over and over.
My hunch is that this is the kind of advice that has been repeated and regurgitated for so long that no one questions it anymore. It's kind of like how grade school science textbooks have a reputation for being slow to catch up with current knowledge, because each new edition is mostly copied from the old one without checking for new research.
Mirroring people to get rapport with them
When two people have rapport their body language will often naturally fall into sync. This advice claims the process can work in reverse, that if you consciously mimic someone's non-verbal communication you'll win them over more easily. I've read a lot of accounts of people saying this hasn't worked for them, or if it did, the effect was very minor. My opinion on this tip is the same as how I feel about affirmations: It never really did much, but it's been around so long that lots of writers unthinkingly use it to pad out their Five Easy Ways To Get Along With People articles. There's also the risk that you'll do it in a clumsy, obvious way, get caught, and seem odd and manipulative.
Using someone's name a lot at the beginning of a conversation to gain rapport
There are two beliefs behind this suggestion. The first is that people are a little self-absorbed and love hearing their name for its own sake. That's debatable. The second is that using someone's name simply shows that you care about them enough to remember it. Makes sense. I think using a person's name once or twice when you've first met them doesn't hurt, but it's not a requirement. Say their name more than that and you'll really, really come across like a salesperson using a technique. If you listen to natural day-to-day conversations you'll see people don't insert each other's names into them very often. Yeah, they may use a name to greet someone, get their attention, or refer to them with other people in the interaction, but they don't speak in the style of, "Yeah, Jen, it's really interesting that you've starting playing piano, Jen. So Jen, what songs are you practicing at the moment, Jen?"
Self-hypnosis, as a way to instantly remove your fears and insecurities
I first learned about hypnosis in a university course and researched it more in my own time. When I read the claims of how I could effortlessly reprogram my mind my interest perked up. I learned how to lie somewhere quiet and talk myself down into a state of deep relaxation. Once I felt fully self-hypnotized I repeated a few commands to myself. "I'm confident. I'm no longer insecure around people. I feel no fear of talking to strangers", and so on. I did this every night for a month or so.
Can you guess what happened? You win if you said I felt psyched up for a few days, and like my problems were solved, before the feeling subsided without me actually accomplishing anything. You know what really ruined hypnotism for me? I read that it only works if you believe it will work. After that it was never the same. I'm sure self-hypnosis, and its ability to get you into a deeply relaxed state, has its uses for some issues, but it's not a shortcut to erase all your baggage.
Condescending suggestions like "Have you tried taking a shower?" or "Maybe you should leave the house"
Yes, I realize people who fit the basement dwelling, 'doesn't know to wear deodorant' stereotype do exist. But they're a tiny minority of everyone with social problems. Most know about basic hygiene and don't play video games for 18 hours a day. They just have fewer friends than they'd like, or feel nervous in group conversations, or struggle in one of dozens of other ways. It's insulting to imply everyone who sometimes feels socially awkward must be a clueless, smelly shut-in.
