• Unf*ckology

  • A Field Guide to Living with Guts and Confidence
  • By: Amy Alkon
  • Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
  • Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (449 ratings)

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Unf*ckology  By  cover art

Unf*ckology

By: Amy Alkon
Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie
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Publisher's summary

Amy Alkon presents Unf*ckology, a "science-help" book that knocks the self-help genre on its unscientific ass. You can finally stop fear from being your boss and put an end to your lifelong social suckage.

Have you spent your life shrinking from opportunities you were dying to seize but feel "that's just who I am"? Well, screw that! You actually can change, and it doesn't take exceptional intelligence or a therapist who's looking forward to finally buying Aruba after decades of listening to you yammer on.

Transforming yourself takes revolutionary science-help from Amy Alkon, who has spent the past 20 years translating cutting-edge behavioral science into highly practical advice in her award-winning syndicated column. In Unf--kology, Alkon pulls together findings from neuroscience, behavioral science, evolutionary psychology, and clinical psychology. She explains everything in language you won't need a psych prof on speed-dial to understand - and with the biting dark humor that made Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck such a great listen. She debunks widely-accepted but scientifically unsupported notions about self-esteem, shame, willpower, and more and demonstrates that:

  • Thinking your way into changing (as so many therapists and self-help books advise) is the most inefficient way to go about it.
  • The mind is bigger than the brain, meaning that your body and your behavior are your gym for turning yourself into the new, confident you.
  • Fear is not just the problem; it's also the solution.
  • By targeting your fears with behavior, you make changes in your brain that reshape your habitual ways of behaving and the emotions that go with them.

Follow Amy Alkon's groundbreaking advice in Unf--kology, and eventually, you'll no longer need to act like the new you; you'll become the new you. And how totally f--king cool is that?

©2018 Amy Alkon (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Unf*ckology

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great writing, better advise

Where does Unf*ckology rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Great book. Full of great advice.

What did you like best about this story?

Science-based advise on overcoming lack of confidence.

Have you listened to any of Carrington MacDuffie’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time I've heard her. She did great.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

If only this book had been available 35 years ago. It would have saved me a lot of grief.

Now that I'm older, I not only see where I went wrong in trying to fix my own head and make my own way with no guidance, I've also studied enough on human behavior at this point to recognize that Amy's advice truly is science-based.

The target human being for this book is the person who is unsure of him or her self, perhaps shy, perhaps lacking in confidence. This book will help fix those things. But there is another audience for Unf*ckology: everybody else.

All of us could use a little boost of confidence from time to time.

Further, we all know people who are shy and lack confidence. Those of us with confidence make a great contribution to the world when we can help those who lack it.

So my advice, if you don't think you need this book: in one way or another, you do.

Finally, I've been a fan of Amy's writing through her Advice Goddess column for close to 20 years. By the time I discovered her column, I was married, and happily so, not dating, and not needing much of the advice provided to her readers. I read her -- and my wife and I would read her to each other -- because she was such a witty and entertaining writer, full of sharp observations that hit their mark every time. She had no time for people's BS and called them on it with flare.

She was a good writer then. She's even better now. If the idea of reading a "science-based" book scares you, don't fear -- Amy's wit, her ability to grip your interest with stories, and her vivid use of the English language will keep you thoroughly entertained.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very enlightening and encouraging!

This audiobook gave me a lot to think about and left me feeling overall better about myself and hopeful that I can make improvements in the way I feel and act. If I had been reading it, there are parts I would have wanted to re- read, especially from chapter 15 to the end. So, I’m planning to listen a second time to the last few chapters. For me the solutions presented made it an especially worthwhile presentation. I didn’t agree with every singe point and suggestion made but there were plenty of great take aways for me. I enjoyed the author’s use of her personal experiences and examples. She also had a pleasant voice,which I always find helpful in audiobooks.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great ideas and insight

Since I'm a little older 60+, I felt the swearing was a little over done. I understand using it for emphasis but I could have done with a little less, especially the F-bomb.

She does have some great points and a LOT of it was very solid advice.

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9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Practical, Informative, and Hilarious!

If you could sum up Unf*ckology in three words, what would they be?

Hilarious, Practical, Informative

Who was your favorite character and why?

Given that the book isn't fiction, there isn't really a main character, but Amy's anecdotes, metaphors, and similes are fantastic and well-timed.

What does Carrington MacDuffie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The performance is fantastic. The delivery of anecdotes and occasional cursing has often brought levity in ways that may not have been been observed had I simply read the book on its own. Given the style of voice (even after a few chapters), I am still adequately entertained when the inevitable F-Bomb rains down from the literary heavens.

What’s an idea from the book that you will remember?

Science and self-improvement doesn't have to be boring or tedious. There is a ton of information in this book and only listening to it once will probably not be enough.

Any additional comments?

Just really thrilled with this title. It has been an absolute joy to experience in this format.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

To the point

Goes right to the point and doesn't mince words. It's also hysterical. If you can't handle cursing, then keep in walking, there's nothing to see here.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I’ll be recommending this book for years

Every once in a while I come across a book thats profoundly life changing. This is one of those. Should be required reading for Humans.

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4 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Lame for a self help book.

Boring listen. Creative if you want to learn new ways to use the F word. You have to dig deep and read between the lines if you want to learn anything. You have to be in pretty bad shape for this to do any good. Horrible narrator.

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3 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Bad advice

Bad advice that just serves as tricks to to act better without solving the problem

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book with tangible action steps

Great book! Excellent intel and insights into behavior, changing behavior, and how to make the brain work for us instead of against us. Very good examples and tangible action steps are presented throughout the book.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Highly recommended

brilliant. listen to it that's all I can say, download, listen Nd maybe listen to it again

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2 people found this helpful