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Neil Strauss: World's most famous pick-up artist now says 'love is acceptance', as The Game author hosts Reddit AMA

The man behind a controversial book on techniques for 'picking up' women is now advising people to 'embody all the qualities you want your partner to have'

Carl Anka
Tuesday 20 October 2015 13:47 EDT
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Writer and journalist Neil Strauss poses as verification for his Reddit AMA.
Writer and journalist Neil Strauss poses as verification for his Reddit AMA. (Neil Strauss / Instagram )

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World-famous pick-up artist Neil Strauss is most widely known for writing controversial seduction book 'The Game'.

But a decade since the publication's release, the writer and journalist appears a changed man - and is now preaching the merits of "acceptance" in ensuring a healthy relationship.

Hosting a three-hour session in one of Reddit's 'Ask Me Anything' (AMA) sessions, he answered users' questions on love, his writing and more.

The Rolling Stone contributor proved good value throughout, discussing the changes in his world view since publishing ‘The Game’.

When one user asked if his recent denouncements of pick-up culture were "motivated by a desire to stay in polite society", Strauss replied: "The distance between me and The Game is 10 years. It's a document of who I was and what I believed then. I think if you read the new book, which is up to you, you will see what really motivated any changes: a quest for my own happiness.”

His new book, ‘The Truth An Uncomfortable Book about Relationships’, was also discussed, as Strauss further elaborated on how marriage and fatherhood has given him a sense of peace since leaving the world of pick-up artistry.

When asked by one user what draws men to pick-up artistry, Strauss answered, “For me, and I think many others, whether they admit or not, it was insecurity.”

Instead, he now urged visitors to the website to practise self-love and to work on their own confidence, saying: "If you want to have a healthy relationship, learning to accept your partner as they are is not a question or a choice, but a necessity.

"Work only on yourself: work on acceptance. Embody all the qualities you want your partner to have.”

The full thread, which also delivers titbits on Strauss’s writing style and upcoming projects, can be found here on the Reddit website.

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