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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Business
Ahona Guha

Advice articles, on everything from mental health to relationships, have exploded. Do we feel the world is out of control?

Mental Health Anxiety
‘Perhaps we can understand the rise of the advice article when we look at the world around us, its complexities and the harshness we experience when we get things wrong.’
‘There seems to be a right and wrong way to do anything, even socialise, and many of us live in fear that we are getting it wrong.’ Photograph: We Are/Getty Images

The news at the end of the year is always a melange of optimism about the new year, wraps of the previous year and best-of or most-awaited lists. At the end of 2023, I noticed a new phenomenon: advice. Lots of it and about many issues, especially mental health and relationships.

Christmas and the holiday season seemed a significant focus, with numerous articles about how to have conversations with family members about difficult topics, managing interactions with problematic family members, navigating loneliness, and how to make small talk at social events.

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