"When a dog barks at you, you probably just think, 'There's a dog barking.'… Nor would anyone be shaken on the second or third day, wondering 'why is that dog barking at me?' Bad words are nothing more than that."
——Hiroyuki Nishimura (known online as "hiroyuki," a well-known Japanese KOL)

"The fouler other people's mouths, the more you grow. Ignoring it is the heaviest counterattack.… When a stray dog barks at you on the street, you probably just think, 'There's a dog barking,' right? You would not spend the next day wondering, 'Why is that dog barking at me?' In the same way, being badmouthed is just such a small thing."
——Publisher's promotional copy (Traditional Chinese edition)

★ Being badmouthed is like being barked at by a stray dog as it passes by. You would not lose a whole night's sleep over "why is that dog barking at me?"
★ The book offers a practical way to put bad words to use: sort them into 4 types, then turn the attack into fuel through 6 methods, while quitting 5 behaviors that only sink you deeper. It does not teach you to endure, but to push back by turning the force around.
★ Its author, Motoko Hori, is a certified psychologist of the Japanese Psychological Association. She herself was once trapped in negative thinking and worked her way out through psychology, and has since guided more than 4,000 people.
★ Strongly recommended by Shion Kabasawa, a well-known Japanese psychiatrist and bestselling author; the work is also licensed for a Traditional Chinese edition.
★ If malicious comments online, harsh words at work, or gossip around you keep wearing you down, this book puts the method right into your hands.

Being badmouthed is like being barked at by a stray dog as it passes by. You would not still be wondering the next day, "why is that dog barking at me?"

In the age of social media, a single anonymous comment, a colleague's remark, or a jab in a group chat can keep a person chewing on it and angry to the bone. We were raised to be told that "you must not speak ill of others," yet bad words have never disappeared from the world. Precisely because anyone can become a target, it matters all the more to have a set of responses ready in advance.

This book tackles exactly this trap of being worn down by bad words. The author, Motoko Hori, is a certified psychologist of the Japanese Psychological Association, and she too was long trapped in negative thinking. Combining her own experience with psychology, she sets out a practical method for putting bad words to use:

First, see clearly the 4 types of bad words: the "contempt" type (you are no good), the "advice" type (I do it better than you), the "rumor" type (someone says you…), and the "junk" type (plain abuse). Different types call for different responses.
Then, learn 6 ways of shifting your thinking, turning attacking words into clues for self-improvement.
At the same time, avoid 5 behaviors that only make things worse: getting emotional, striking back with bad words of your own, taking them to heart and putting yourself down, escaping reality, and sinking into the swamp of negativity.

Through many everyday scenes and exercises, the book helps readers move from "being led around by others' judgments" back to "defining yourself by yourself." It does not teach endless endurance; it teaches how not to be dragged under, and even how to borrow the force and move forward. For readers who have long cared about others' eyes and grown used to inner drain, this is a practical, readable, and immediately usable self-help book.

Motoko Hori（堀もとこ）
Born in 1979 in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan. Certified psychologist of the Japanese Psychological Association, lecturer in the field of self-improvement, and representative of Office MOCO.
At university she focused on the study of juvenile crime, then, due to her own mental state, turned back to studying psychology again; after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, she drew courage from people who kept living on through loss, became convinced that "whatever the hardship, the key to holding on lies in your mindset," and returned to psychology. In 2018 she obtained certification as a psychologist from the Japanese Psychological Association. She has served as a lecturer in communication at a vocational school, a host on a local FM radio station, and a coach for contestants in an international speech contest; today she is active in multiple roles as lecturer, host, and consultant.
She believes that "if you make up your mind to change, you can find happiness," and, based on her own experience of overcoming negative thinking, offers "mental training that cannot be knocked down" and "mind-control methods," having guided more than 4,000 people.
Other works: How to Make the People You Dislike All Disappear (Traditional Chinese edition, 2025); she also writes a series for the school health magazine Kokoro to Karada no Kenko.

Preface
Chapter 1 When Someone Badmouths You, First Try Thinking About These 5 Things
01 It All Depends on How You Look at It
02 He May Be an Enemy Pretending to Be a Friend
03 Malicious Criticism on Social Media
04 Being Badmouthed Does Not Reduce Your Worth
05 Try Rethinking in Response to the Bad Words
Column 1
Chapter 2 5 Things You Must Never Do Even When Badmouthed
01 Getting Emotional
02 Striking Back by Badmouthing in Return
03 Taking It to Heart and Feeling Worthless
04 Escaping Reality
05 Sinking into a Swamp of Negativity
Column 2
Chapter 3 Turn Bad Words into Energy!
01 Bad Words Are Gasoline!
02 Turn Them into Energy Through the 4 Types
03 The Mindset of People Who Put On Airs
04 Why People Feel Envy
05 How to Respond When Someone Invites You to Badmouth Together
Chapter 4 A Way of Thinking That Won't Lose to Bad Words
01 "Not Arguing Back Feels Like Losing"
02 You Have Not Lost to Anyone, So There Is No Need to Argue Back
03 "They Badmouth You Because You Are Bad?" This Thinking Is Dangerous
04 Friends Who Tire You Out Can Be Downgraded to "Just Acquaintances"
05 Why Sad Things Keep Coming One After Another
06 The "Should" and "Must" Thinking That Binds Us
07 Your Life Is Made of the Results of Your Own Decisions