Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment

From the New York Times bestselling author of Platonic, a groundbreaking guide exploring the promise (and limits) of secure attachment to help us feel better and boost our self-esteem.

"I can't think of anyone who won't need this book." --Jen Hatmaker, New York Times bestselling author and host of For the Love

What if what you thought you knew about secure attachment was wrong? Or worse, making you more insecure?

Dr. Marisa G. Franco is the New York Times bestselling friendship expert whose advice Glennon Doyle calls "wise, concrete, and effective"--Dr. Franco literally wrote the book on how to become a securely attached friend. But since then, she's realized that when we feel unworthy, the things we think should make us feel secure and raise our self-esteem often backfire:

• Optimistic self-talk makes us feel worse, not better.
• Positive feedback raises our blood pressure.
• Compliments make us uncomfortable.
• Positive events make us sicker.

The good news: Self-esteem is a skill that can be learned--and you can get better at it, which in turn strengthens all your other relationships. In Worth, Dr. Franco mines promising new research at the intersection of psychology and neuroscience to show us why so many of us still struggle with self-esteem (even in this self-obsessed age), and how we can build a foundation of lasting self-worth that doesn't rely on likes or followers.

Through exercises, stories, and the cutting-edge science of memory reconsolidation, updating damaging memories to change the stories we tell ourselves, Dr. Franco shows how we can bring meaning, self-worth, and secure attachment back into our lives, from the inside out. If you feel like you've read every book on healing, but you are still struggling, Worth will help you finally find the transformation you've been looking for.

Author: Marisa G. PhD Franco
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Published: 09/15/2026
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9798217046591

About the Author
Dr. Marisa G. Franco is the New York Times bestselling author of Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make--and Keep--Friends. She holds a PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Maryland and works as a professor there currently. She writes for Psychology Today and has been a featured psychologist in The New York Times and on NPR and Good Morning America. Dr. Franco delivers talks about connection, belonging, and worth all over the country to private companies, universities, and nonprofit organizations. Her newest talk is entitled "Worth and Belonging: How to Build Self-Worth to Foster Belonging at Work."