Possessed
Why We Want More Than We Need
Published on 29. August 2019
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-241-40995-4 (ISBN)
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.
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.
Reviews / Votes
Beautifully written and brilliantly argued, Possessed is one of the few things you really need to own. -- Dan Gilbert Bruce Hood convincingly shows that we are possessed with possessions, but his book is one possession you have to have, especially now. Engagingly written, Possessed brings psychological science to bear on understanding how to exorcise this demon. -- Robert Plomin, author of 'Blueprint: How DNA makes us who we are' Science writing at its best: it's funny, smart, and on an fascinating topic. -- Paul Bloom * Twitter * Ownership is a surprisingly nuanced and wonderfully colorful topic, and no one is better poised to tell its story than psychologist and author Bruce Hood. The book he's written is a page-turner that puts our intuitions under the spotlight at every turn. -- David Eagleman, bestselling author of 'The Brain' and 'Incognito' Bruce Hood's excellent new book upends the concept of possession and ownership . . . Possessed combines philosophy with rigorous experimental research to examine the reasons why we want to own so much more than we need. Hood's writing is crisp and he covers an impressive range for such a slim volume. For practical strategies to declutter, read Marie Kondo. For those interested in the psychology and philosophy of materialism, this rich and engaging book will spark hours of joy. -- David Robson * The British Psychological Society blog *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
424 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-40995-4 (9780241409954)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2019
1st Edition
Penguin Books Ltd
€9.49
Available for download
Person
Bruce Hood is a professor of Developmental Psychology in Society at the University of Bristol and the author of SuperSense, The Self Illusion and The Domesticated Brain. He is an elected Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, the British Psychology Society and the Royal Institution of Great Britain.