point taken. it's possible the issue is more nuanced: some of the benefit comes just from forcing people to be conscientious about how they interact w/ people, and some comes from the specific tips he provides.
i agree w/ gaius that this principle extends to other aspects of living. i'm not sure many of the lifehacks are as universally effective/valuable as they are claimed... i think a lot of the benefit gained from reading productivity porn like lifehacker comes from being forced to actually evaluate how you spend your time and energy...