I "gobble" up TED talks like a pelican. Listen to podcasts etc. I don't consider them sermons or BS. Not even close to "self help" IMO. Only a few have left me disappointed and one of them changed (maybe saved) my life - literally. That one was from a former Doctor from NIH who turned me on to intermittent fasting. The TED talk gave me lose 60 pounds.
Thing is, no matter how well you understand how and why things work the way they do, your emotions will very often take over your actions.
That's a cop out IMO and is lazy thinking. People can calm down, focus and change their behavior. I used to have an insane temper - just nuts. I faced it and sought help through a book called "When Anger Hurts" written by people much smarter than me. That book that you'd probably dismiss as "self-help" along with some hard work and soul searching helped me chill the fuck out.
It's amazing what having an open mind can do.
An now the best TED talk of all time. Please take a look.
https://youtu.be/8S0FDjFBj8o