I've come into contact with Richard Wiseman in a variety of skeptical forums - magazines, blogs, podcasts - which is how I first heard of this book. It's a fairly thorough debunking of a wide range of self-help theories, from baby Mozart to "The Secret". Instead, Wiseman offers advice distilled from concrete scientific studies. While the advice is obviously appreciated, I would also have appreciated a more in-depth look at the studies (why one study is better than another, how the results were replicated, etc.) before taking the advice. In reading this book, I think I was looking for a little less self-help and a little more criticism; as a self-help guide, I believe the book acquits itself admirably.