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Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need

Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need

by Bruce Hood (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2019

    $3.29
Synopsis

How ownership came to control us - and what we can do about it

Our love affair with our possessions seems to be all-consuming, even as our planet reaches breaking point. Despite the constant warnings about our future, we are reluctant to change our ways when it comes to accumulating more and more things. Why is this?

The answer is our need for ownership. Ownership is a uniquely human pre-occupation that has its origins deeply rooted in our biology. It can be seen in everything from children fighting over toys to the rise of political extremism.

Award-winning psychologist Bruce Hood draws on research from his own lab and others around the world to explain why psychological ownership is an emotional state of mind that governs our behaviour from the cradle to the grave, even when it is often irrational and destructive. What motivates us to buy more than we need? How does our urge to acquire control our behaviour, even the way we vote? And what can we do about it?

Timely, engaging and persuasive, Possessed is the first book to explore how ownership has us enthralled in relentless pursuit of a false happiness, with damaging consequences for society and the planet - and how we can stop buying into it.

$3.29

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 224
 Publisher: Allen Lane
Published: 29 Aug 2019
ISBN 10: 0241409950
ISBN 13: 9780241409954
Book Overview: How ownership came to control us - and what we can do about it.

Media Reviews
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 *
Author Bio
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.