Brian there on WNYC.

So last week we did a segment trying to figure out if we're all getting ruder.

The verdict for many of you was, yes, we are.

And since that segment seemed to really strike a chord, today we're diving into maybe one of its causes, self-help books.

You might have already heard of the kind of trendy advice we're talking about, set and enforce boundaries.

Well, that's good advice.

Don't be afraid to be the villain.

Sometimes good advice. Stop trying to afraid to be the villain. Sometimes good advice.

Stop trying to please everyone. Put yourself first, but has it all gone too far? And more importantly,

isn't making us treat each other worse. Joining us to discuss is Emma Goldberg, feature writer for The New York Times, reporting on political subcultures and the way we live now,

and the author of Life on the Line, Young Doctors Come of Age in a Pandemic, and maybe you've seen her writing about this.

Hey, Emma, welcome back to WNYC.

Thanks for having me on.

I'm excited to talk about jerks and how to not be one.

And listeners, we will take your calls about jerks and how to not be one.

And if you think a self-help book or a piece of advice meant to be constructive

has ever turned you into a jerk or someone you know.

212-33 WNY know. 212-433 WNYC,

212-433-9-6-9-2 call or text. Should we define a term first when we say self-help advice,

what are we talking about?

So we're talking about what's kind of a juggernaut in the publishing industry.

It's this empire of books that all give you sort of bite-sized pieces of advice on how to live your life,

...