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Mind

What happened when one woman set out to improve her personality

In the enjoyable and science-backed book Me, But Better, Olga Khazan embarks on a year-long experiment to see if she can really become a more agreeable person

By Elle Hunt

19 March 2025

GB. England. Manchester. Levenshulme. Royal Nawaab. 21st Birthday Party. 2018.

From throwing a party to joining improv classes, how far would you go to change yourself?

Martin Parr/Magnum Photos

Me, But Better
Olga Khazan (John Murray (UK); S&S/Simon Element (US))

Maybe you would like to be more outgoing or organised. Or perhaps you want to worry less, or achieve more. It seems like everyone has something they would change about themselves if they could – some trait they would like to either possess or shed.

The self-help and wellness industries have successfully monetised that desire, promising if only we buy the right products and services, we might be transformed into new…

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