Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson Is Self-Help a Cult? The Attention Economy and Slippery Slope of "Woo"
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Jan 19, 2026 
In this thought-provoking discussion, Dr. Rick Hanson, a clinical psychologist and author known for his insights on well-being, joins Forrest to delve into the shadows of self-help. They explore how the attention economy fosters overclaiming and misinformation. Rick warns of the dangers of authority manufactured in the digital era while addressing the risks of pseudoscience becoming mainstream. The duo also shares practical criteria for evaluating personal-growth claims and emphasizes the importance of scientific rigor in a landscape riddled with 'cultish' dynamics.
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Question How Authority Is Built
- Ask how authority is being manufactured and what incentives drive the messenger.
- Check claim size and whether standards differ appropriately between medicine and personal growth.
When Expertise Becomes A Hammer
- Modality capture makes experts see every issue through their familiar lens, turning narrow tools into theories of everything.
- The attention economy then rewards monocausal, sensational explanations that overgeneralize.
ADHD Is Not Simply Trauma
- Claiming ADHD is caused solely by trauma ignores strong genetic and brain-based evidence from twin and gene studies.
- Trauma can mimic or worsen symptoms but is not the universal cause of ADHD.
