On Our Best Behaviour

Stop trying to be “good.” Start living freely. THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'A stunning, big and bold encyclopaedia of how to live' LISA TADDEO 'Astute, radical and utterly compelling' KATHERINE MAY 'You will finish this book and immediately hand your copy to your best friend' JENNIFER ANISTON Why do so many women feel the need to be “good”, even at their own expense? Why do we apologise when we’ve done nothing wrong? Struggle with people-pleasing and setting boundaries? Put others first, even when it leads to burnout and resentment? Praise ourselves for self-denial? Silence our anger? Ignore our needs? We’re told this is what makes us "good" women. In On Our Best Behaviour, Elise Loehnen reveals how these patterns aren’t natural - they’re learned. Drawing on feminism, psychology and cultural history, she exposes how women have been conditioned to self-regulate through an enduring framework: Lust. Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Wrath. Envy. Pride. These so-called “deadly sins” have shaped how women relate to their bodies (gluttony, lust), limit their ambition (greed, pride), and suppress anger and truth (wrath). This is not just theory - it’s a system that still influences how women behave every day. On Our Best Behaviour offers a new path - one where we build a life rooted in self-trust, autonomy and emotional freedom. 'A guide to liberation and a return to the authentic feminine self' GABOR MATÉ 'Brilliantly reframes our toxic cultural programming' LORI GOTTLIEB 'This is a really important book' CHELSEA HANDLER