No More Mr. Nice Guy (book)

"No More Mr. Nice Guy" is a self-help book by Dr. Robert Glover. He describes what he calls the "Nice Guy Syndrome", a condition in men who who appear to be always nice (and boring), and who avoid conflict at all costs.

Nice guys have been conditioned by childhood and by society to believe that they will be successful only if they make everyone happy, and never cause any problems for others. This creates internal frustration because Nice Guys never try to obtain what they want in life. In addition, the Nice Guy's desire to obtain approval from everyone (especially women), causes him to actually behave in very un-nice ways. This includes large amounts of dishonesty and passive aggressive behavior.

Dr. Glover's radical prescription, detailed in the book, involves teaching Nice Guys that their needs and desires are important, and that to make others happy they must first learn to make themselves happy. One of the primary ways that Nice Guys do this is by learning to embrace and develop their masculine traits, instead of fearing and supressing them.

The official site for the book can be found at: http://nomoremrniceguy.com.

Nice Guys in the Media

Due to their constant internal conflicts, avoidance of conflict with others, self-loathing, and tendency to play the victim while blaming others for their problems, Nice Guys make for popular characters on TV and in film. Some examples include George Costanza on "Seinfeld", Rimmer in "Red Dwarf", and the main characters in the films "The Spanish Prisoner", and "Fight Club".