Why do we buy? Why are so many of our consumer choices simply a waste of time, energy, and money? How does advertising really work? And why are pregnant women more racist than the rest of us? In this brilliantly original, provocative and witty book, Geoffrey Miller - acclaimed author of The Mating Mind - uses evolutionary psychology to explain the phenomenon of modern brand-driven consumerism. Traversing the murky terrains of marketing, advertising, brands, media, genetics, neuroscience and the latest advances in evolutionary biology to explore human behavior, Spent argues that many of our product choices are driven by the desire not to feel good, but to look good, by displaying our evolutionary fitness to those around us. At once a searing critique of the excesses of twenty-first-century consumerism and a masterful new take on understanding how the mind works, Spent is a radical, timely and original book. (20040315)
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Acclaimed psychologist Geoffrey Miller uses evolutionary biology to reveal how the dizzying, brand-saturated world of modern consumerism really works. (20040315)
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Why do we buy? Why are so many of our consumer choices simply a waste of time, energy, and money? How does advertising really work? And why are pregnant women more racist than the rest of us? In this brilliantly original, provocative and witty book, Geoffrey Miller – acclaimed author of The Mating Mind – uses evolutionary psychology to explain the phenomenon of modern brand-driven consumerism. In understanding human nature, most scientists try to look inside our heads with questionnaires, experiments, and brain imaging equipment. But we can also look outside, to the consumerist dream-worlds that we have created to fulfil our desires. Products reveal our preferences; the world of goods, services, advertisements, media, and entertainment is a rich source of evidence about what people want – or at least what they think they want. Combining a journey through the murky terrains of marketing, advertising, and media with the latest developments in neuroscience, genetics and evolutionary biology’s quest to explain human behaviour, Spent argues that too many of our product choices are driven by the desire not to feel good, but to look good, by displaying our evolutionary fitness to those around us. At once a searing critique of the excesses of twenty-first-century consumerism and a masterful new take on understanding how the human mind works, Spent is a radical, timely and groundbreaking book.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Rolf Dobelli
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
Evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller examines modern consumer culture through a scientific lens. The result is thought-provoking, useful and often witty, but a bit uneven. Miller does of fine job of explaining evolutionary psychology and, especially, of showing how the endless purchases that define "consumerist capitalism" come from an unacknowledged need to demonstrate physical characteristics or personality traits to others. This section of the book will interest anyone seeking original social critique. The highly focused discussion of the "Central Six" personality traits provides a stable foundation for evaluating other people or marketing to them. The final section, in which Miller proposes social alternatives to consumerism, challenges existing culture, but is not nearly as convincing (or, strangely) as witty as the earlier sections. getAbstract recommends this book to marketing and human resources professionals, and to any reader who wants to think deeply about the foundations of societies and their economies.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By M Killian
Format:Paperback
I can't recommend this book enough. I expected it to be rather academic but found it an easy read largely due to Miller's sharp wit. An excellent read for psychologists, marketers and anyone who is interested in human behaviour, evolution, consumerism or the development of society and culture. The book starts by examining how we engage in fitness signalling through the products we buy. Miller shows how false signalling through conspicuous shopping and identification with brands leads to false signalling. This is futile because despite the 'plumes' that people display in order to attract a better mate, we can easily judge a persons character withing minutes of meeting them. We pay huge premiums in our competitive quest for a mate and this makes fortunes for brands. In the second part of the book Miller examines the impact of consumerism on culture and how we can make better choices as consumers. He highlights the 'Central Six' character traits that can help us evaluate people we meet rather than rely on displays which may be misleading. Miller then offers some very radical and wildly original creative alternatives to concumerist displays, such as trait stamping by tattooing the central Six score on foreheads! However do not underestimate this book as although it is told with humour, it address important issues and makes you question how consumerism impacts society.
By Deniz Ates
Format:Paperback
Without a doubt this book is the most educational, the most interesting, and the most humorous text on business (and personal relations) I have read for a long, long time. The implications of it are astounding. Could it be that all of our desires are directed towards selecting an intelligent, open, conscientious, agreeable, stable and extroverted mate, rather than a resourceful or beautiful mate, as argued by other evolutionary psychologists? It is definitely an interesting perspective, and it suggests an excellent approach to producing better marketing content, better product design, better business strategy, and (as a consumer) better purchasing decisions. There is a lot of information packed into this book so, rather than unpack it all myself, I would recommend that you just read it, several times. It is an awesomely enlightening book! I would also recommend that readers check out The Consuming Instinct by Gad Saad.
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