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A new rationalist self-improvement book: the 12 Levers
Brief
Spencer Greenberg (with Jeremy Stevenson) announces The 12 Levers, a 2026 rationalist self-improvement book that maps ~500 extracted techniques from 100+ self-help books and 20+ therapies into 12 high-level psychological strategies. The authors emphasize that many techniques are recycled (e.g., mindfulness shows up in ACT/DBT/MBCT under different names) and that evidence quality varies: a 2025 cold-exposure meta-analysis produced mixed short- and medium-term findings (benefits at 12 hours and after 30 days but not consistently at other time points or at 90 days), while energetic/Wim Hof breathing has limited rigorous support. They argue people control only four domains—body, communication, thoughts, attention—and provide practical guidance and a Unique Traits Test (80+ traits) to personalize technique selection. Community response on LessWrong was minimal and did not substantively engage the book's claims.
Why it matters
Authors Spencer Greenberg and Jeremy Stevenson read over 100 popular self-help books and reviewed more than 20 types of therapy, extracting ~500 techniques and arguing they can be subsumed into 12 high-level psychological strategies; the LessWrong post (2026-05-02) promotes preorders that include five perks and a tool to apply the techniques.
Key details
- Many widely promoted techniques are recycled or repackaged: mindfulness appears across ACT, DBT, MBCT, MBSR and is described under labels like 'defusion', 'decentering', and 'distancing'; exposure likewise recurs across therapies.
- Evidence is uneven: a 2025 meta-analysis of cold exposure found lower physiological stress at 12 hours, better self-reported sleep, improved quality of life after 30 days, and 29% fewer sick days, but no stress benefits at other time points, no QoL gains at 90 days, and no general mood improvements; energetic ('Wim Hof') breathing shows mixed results (2023 narrative review), with the most rigorous trial finding no advantage over ordinary breathing.
- Framework and implications: the authors claim people fundamentally control four domains—body, communication, thoughts, attention—and built the book around techniques acting on those levers; they also launched a 'Unique Traits Test' assessing over 80 uncommon traits. Community engagement on the post was minimal—one comment by Boaz Barak linking to OpenAI's alignment blog rather than critiquing the book.