Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior

by Geoffrey Miller

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A leading evolutionary psychologist probes the hidden instincts behind our working, shopping, and spending Evolutionary psychology-the compelling science of human nature-has clarified the prehistoric origins of human behavior and influenced many fields ranging from economics to personal relationships. In "Spent" Geoffrey Miller applies this revolutionary science's principles to a new domain: the sensual wonderland of marketing and status seeking that we call American consumer culture. Starting with the basic notion that the goods and services we buy unconsciously advertise our biological potential as mates and friends, Miller examines the hidden factors that dictate our choices in everything from lipstick to cars, from the magazines we read to the music we listen to. With humor and insight, Miller analyzes an array of product choices and deciphers what our decisions say about ourselves, giving us access to a new way of understanding-and improving-our behaviors. Like "Freakonomics" or "The Tipping Point, Spent" is a bold and revelatory book that illuminates the unseen logic behind the chaos of consumerism and suggests new ways we can become happier consumers and more responsible citizens.
  • ISBN10 0670020621
  • ISBN13 9780670020621
  • Publish Date 14 May 2009 (first published 1 May 2009)
  • Publish Status Out of Print
  • Out of Print 18 March 2014
  • Publish Country US
  • Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc
  • Imprint Penguin USA
  • Format Hardcover
  • Pages 374
  • Language English