Self-Help Yourself

*Self-Help Is Like a Vaccine: Essays on Living Better* now on sale

Most economics students will never control monetary policy, set tariff rates, or run a Stackelberg oligopoly. But all of them will eventually watch a bad movie and wonder, “Should I walk out?” If their economics teacher did his job, they’ll instantly think: “Enduring this stupid movie is a classic illustration of the sunk cost fallacy. I’m out of here!”

Walking out of bad movies is one tiny example of a general truth: Economics can and should improve the way you live. Sure, you can interpret economics as a purely descriptive field: “Economics seeks only to describe human behavior, not to change it.” But why limit yourself? Marginal analysis is predictively useful because most human beings kind of sort of use marginal analysis. Once you deeply understand marginal analysis, however, you can start using it consistently — and watch your quality of life ascend.

Today, I release my sixth collection of essays, entitled Self-Help Is Like a Vaccine: Essays on Living Better. Ironically, millions of X readers recently mistook me for an anti-vaxxer. The whole point of the title essay, though, is that advice can and often is excellent despite most listeners’ refusal to follow it. “Get vaccines for common, high-risk illnesses” and “Walk out of bad movies” are sound admonitions. You should heed them even if no one else does.

I’ve been writing economically-inspired self-help essays for almost two decades. Self-Help Is Like a Vaccine compiles the most helpful 5-7% of my advice. The latest installment in my collected essay series remains at the low low price of $12 for the paperback and $9.99 for the Kindle version. If you like what I write and like making life better, my advice is: Buy copies for yourself and all your favorite people.

Should you really order my latest book? Don’t just take my word for it. When Alex Tabarrok, co-founder of Marginal Revolution, sent me this blurb, I blushed:

When I need advice, I turn to Bryan Caplan. When everyone else offers platitudes, Bryan offers actionable plans. Do this. Don’t do that. Bryan’s advice is inevitably surprising yet obvious… after you hear it. Bryan Caplan is my guru.

I love you, too, Alex! And I like the India reference.

Like my other books of essays, Self-Help Is Like a Vaccine is divided into four parts.

• The first, “Unilateral Action,” argues that despite popular nay-saying and “Can’t-Do” mentalities, you have a vast menu of unexplored choices. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. While most “minorities of one” are fools, cautious experimentation and appreciation of good track records, not conformism, is the wise response.

• The next section, “Life Hacks,” offers a bunch of specific suggestions for improving your life. Only one hack has to work out to instantly justify your purchase of the book.

• “Professor Homeschool” brings together all of my best pieces on teaching my own kids. I have over a decade’s experience: I taught the twins for grades 7-12, all four kids for Covid, and my 10th-grader is working one room away from me as I write. Except during Covid, homeschooling is a fair bit of extra work, but if you’re still curious, I’ve got a pile of time-tested advice.

• I close the book with “How to Dale Carnegie.” As you may know, I’m a huge fan of his classic How to Win Friends and Influence People. Not because I’m naturally a people-pleaser; I’m not. But with Dale’s help, I have managed to make thousands of friends all over the planet. Few skills are more useful, both emotionally and materially.

As usual with my books of essays, you can read them all for free in the Bet On It Archives. Why pay? To make your self-help process seamless. Self-Help Is Like a Vaccine organizes my best pieces so you don’t waste a minute.

P.S. Happy to do interviews, podcasts, radio, TV, and beyond for the new book. Just email me to set something up.