Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need
€12.50
You may not believe it, but there is a link between our current political instability and your childhood attachment to teddy bears. There’s also a reason why children in Asia are more likely to share than their Western counterparts and why the poor spend more of their income on luxury goods than the rich. Or why your mother is more likely to leave her money to you than your father. What connects these things? The answer is our need for ownership. Award-winning psychologist Bruce Hood draws on research from his own lab and others around the world to explain why this uniquely human preoccupation governs our behaviour from the cradle to the grave, even when it is often irrational and destructive.
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Description
‘Beautifully written and brilliantly argued, Possessed is one of the few things you really need to own’ Daniel Gilbert
How ownership came to own us – and what we can do about it
Our love affair with possessions seems to be all-consuming, even as we face economic and environmental breaking points. The global pandemic is a wake-up call that forces us to reassess what we value most in our lives, and yet we remain reluctant to change our ways when it comes to accumulating things. Why?
The answer is our need for ownership. A uniquely human preoccupation rooted in our biology, psychological ownership can be seen in everything from nations fighting over resources to the rise of political extremism.
Award-winning psychologist Bruce Hood draws on his own and international research to explain why ownership is an emotional state of mind that governs our behaviour from cradle to grave, even when it is often irrational and destructive. Does our shopping define us? What motivates us to buy more than we need? Why do some cultures favour shared community ownership and others individual? How does our urge to acquire control our behaviour in times of crisis?
Timely and persuasive, Possessed is the first book to explore how ownership has us in thrall to the relentless pursuit of a false happiness, with damaging consequences for society and the planet – and how we can stop buying into it.
Additional information
| Weight | 0.424 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 24 × 16.2 × 2.4 cm |
| Book_author | Hood, Bruce |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Imprint | Allen Lane |
| Cover | Hardback |
| Pages | 224 |
| Language | English |
| Dewey | 658.8342 (edition:23) |
| Readership | College – higher education / Code: F |
