United States
United Kingdom
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
IrelandMark Manson brings anti-pickup advice to Coleman Hughes
The author returns Hughes to a book he read in college, while a second interview explores anger and military robots.
Coleman Hughes
Story of Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
The Truth About Pickup Artists
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 3:18Manson explains why he wanted philosophical realism rather than superficial encouragement in self-help.
- 8:04His early dating coaching involved steering young men away from formulaic pickup tactics.
- 17:26Manson argues that affirmations tend to help people who already feel capable and positive about themselves.
- 30:00He connects information overload and endless choices with Kierkegaard's writing about anxiety.
- 50:59Manson presents existentialism as placing responsibility on individuals to create meaning in their lives.
Coleman Hughes remembers reading Mark Manson as an undergraduate. Now he has the author opposite him, asking how a former dating coach became a self-help writer suspicious of easy answers.
"The Truth About Pickup Artists" was the most watched of Hughes' two new uploads, reaching about 30,000 views. Manson describes coaching young men away from formulaic routines and toward honesty: a successful performance, he argues, can leave someone attracted to the act rather than the person. His broader point is that relationship problems rarely stay neatly inside the relationship.
That takes the conversation well beyond dating. "Happiness is overrated, right?" Manson says. "There are plenty of great reasons to do things that don't necessarily make you happy." Hughes asks about affirmations, information overload and finding meaning amid too many choices. In the comments, viewers pick up on choice-induced anxiety and question whether everyone needs an explicit personal philosophy.
The other new interview, "Meet The Angry Marine Building Killer Robots," brings in former Marine and entrepreneur Mike LeBlanc. His company builds humanoid robots, including some being trained for war. Alongside responsibility for robotic killing, the conversation considers his argument that anger can help people enforce boundaries.
An older political interview remains the channel's busiest video day to day: October's conversation with Konstantin Kisin about France and Britain is nearing a million views. LeBlanc's episode is next among the currently most active uploads.
Hughes added a thousand subscribers over the week, though daily views are running well below their usual level. Nearby in channel size, Spot On with Link Lauren and The News Agents had much larger weekly audiences. For Hughes, this week's new conversations offered a different emphasis: what emotions are for, rather than simply how to escape them.
An American author and blogger who writes about self-help.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
Where next?
What viewers say
Too many choices creates anxiety, that's a fact!
@katerinadehning1685See it on YouTubeThe discussion around a personal philosophy seems to assume everyone has one or is looking for one. You could, I guess, say no philosophy is a philosophy. This guest seems to, on the one hand, be critical of people looking for simple answers and, on the other, discusses a fairly simplified personal philosophy. I can honestly say I have never heard a friend or acquaintance discuss their philosophy.
@markstryshak539See it on YouTubeI’ve only just discovered Mark and, to be honest, it’s been ages since I’ve heard such insightful reflections on relationships, work and life in general! This is going to be an interesting conversation!
@veselganaSee it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
Is this your channel?For the channel's owners and team: a ready picture and text for your audience
Share the story with your audience. Everything is ready:
For an Instagram story or a WhatsApp status
For a community post or your channel's description
The videos drawing views on Coleman Hughes right now
- Channel
- Coleman Hughes
- Subscribers
- 273,000 ▲ 1,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 156,586
- Videos published this week
- 2
- Video published
- November 2, 2026
- Video views so far
- 30,435
- Views on its first day
- 12,838
The numbers
Here is how the two new interviews and the wider channel performed this week.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which Mark Manson book does Hughes ask about when discussing pickup culture?
Hughes brings up Manson's earlier dating-advice book Models before they discuss his coaching years.