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The Consuming Instinct: What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal About Human Nature

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3.63 · Rating details · 341 ratings · 35 reviews

For anyone interested in the biological basis of human behavior or simply in what makes consumers tick—marketing professionals, advertisers, psychology mavens, and consumers themselves—this is a fascinating read.
What do all successful fast-food restaurants have in common?
Why are women more likely to become compulsive shoppers and men more likely to become addicted to porno ...more

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Hardcover, 374 pages

Published June 21st 2011 by Prometheus Books (first published January 1st 2011)

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Lists with This Book

The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker

Evolutionary Psychology by David M. Buss

The Moral Animal by Robert Wright

Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel C. Dennett

Evolutionary Psychology

84 books — 46 voters

Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters by Alan S. Miller

The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker

Survival of the Prettiest by Nancy L. Etcoff

Intelligence and How to Get It by Richard E. Nisbett

The Origins of Political Order by Francis Fukuyama

The Third Culture

42 books — 2 voters

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3.63 ·

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· 341 ratings · 35 reviews

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Alicia Fox

Nov 24, 2012 Alicia Fox rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

This book describes common human behaviors (from why guys like driving fast cars to why women are willing to kill their feet wearing high heels) from an evolutionary perspective. Saad teaches MBAs, so it's not surprising that his analyses center on how an understanding of evolutionary psychology can help advertising campaigns on a global scale (in terms of recognizing what human likes and traits are universal rather than culturally specific).

Saad goes out of his way to confer a "don't shoot the This book describes common human behaviors (from why guys like driving fast cars to why women are willing to kill their feet wearing high heels) from an evolutionary perspective. Saad teaches MBAs, so it's not surprising that his analyses center on how an understanding of evolutionary psychology can help advertising campaigns on a global scale (in terms of recognizing what human likes and traits are universal rather than culturally specific).

Saad goes out of his way to confer a "don't shoot the messenger" idea. For example, it's not his sexist nature that makes him say that men are naturally more sexually jealous--it's the fault of hundreds of thousands of years of "paternity uncertainty" that makes men this way. And I get what he's saying. Likewise, I fully believe that to get real answers to life's problems, we have to know the truth about what causes our behavior.

However, Saad seems at times gleeful when the scientific truths he espouses trumps the work of feminist writers and researchers (like Naomi Wolf). In the logic of evolutionary psychology, it's inevitable that, say, a guy driving a Ferrari will have his aggressive-sexual testosterone levels raised, and that the guy will all the more so want to have sex with the curvy woman he sees walking along the street in high heels (signifying fertility through her figure, and a sexually receptive position via her raised buttocks). I understand that Saad is simply explaining the "why" of this situation. But when he virtually laughs off the writings of a person like Wolf, Saad comes across (at least to me) as dismissive of the very real problems that Wolf (and her ilk) try to address. Sure, the man and woman in the scenario I've described are doing only what they feel is natural, but a very real problem does occur when the scenario goes too far (e.g., the man assumes that the woman is available to him, and ends up harassing her). Instead of kindly offering recommendations for how the knowledge of evolutionary psychology could be used to treat the wrongs and unfairness inherently present in a bunch advanced chimps wearing clothes (that is, all of us), Saad opts to crow rather too loudly over the fact that his academic discipline trumps another academic discipline.

As far as the book goes, it's a great read. The material is written in a way that pretty much anyone can understand. However, my concern is that people (particularly MBAs and marketers) will read it and use evolutionary psychology against us. And, in tune with what I stated above, they will offer no apologies for any harmful sexism, etc., that is perpetuated as a result of their use of evolutionary psychology in marketing campaigns. ...more

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John Kennedy

Jun 30, 2011 John Kennedy rated it it was ok

This book has some great brief bursts of interesting and creative insights into topics such as tattoos, hospitality, pets, friendships and toys. Saad can be quite interesting in analyzing why we eat as if there's no tomorrow. But the book is uneven, and long stretches are dull. Saad is an atheist and traces everything to Darwin evolutionary causes. Comparisons between animals and humans abound. He posits that humans act devoid or morality, and some theories (e.g. men who view porn treat women be ...more

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Greg Linster

Nov 16, 2011 Greg Linster rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites

The aphorist, Aaron Haspel, once wrote: "Once you see human interaction as a contest to signal mating fitness, you never see it as anything else." That's both interesting and true, but for the purposes of this review, I'm going to need to paint with a broader brush: once you see all aspects of human existence as a product of evolution, you never see them as anything else. Modern-day consumerism is no exception and it's the subject of Gad Saad's fantastic book The Consuming Instinct.

Saad is a p ...more

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Joe Robles

Jan 10, 2014 Joe Robles rated it really liked it

Overall this is a good book that examines the relationship between our evolved psychologies and how marketing and business tap into that, whether consciously or unconsciously. The two problems I had with this book are that, first, it basically pre-supposes an acceptance of Evolutionary Psychology as a guiding force in our lives. As someone who studied E.P. at U.T. Austin, and enjoyed learning from David Buss, I accept the points laid out in the text(and usually knew the studies referenced in mor Overall this is a good book that examines the relationship between our evolved psychologies and how marketing and business tap into that, whether consciously or unconsciously. The two problems I had with this book are that, first, it basically pre-supposes an acceptance of Evolutionary Psychology as a guiding force in our lives. As someone who studied E.P. at U.T. Austin, and enjoyed learning from David Buss, I accept the points laid out in the text(and usually knew the studies referenced in more depth). But if you're a layperson with a passing interest in why people consume porn and why people smoke cigarettes and eat fatty foods when we know it's bad for us, the supporting arguments may be a little harder to swallow (pardon the pun). The areas where Gad Saad goes the most in-depth, which happens with all scientists who write, are the areas where he personally conducted the studies and experiments. Of course, had he gone more in-depth on every point this would have been a much larger book. To that end, I feel this is a good introduction to E.P. as it relates to consumer behavior. For more on the subjects mentioned in the book, I recommend the works of David Buss and Steven Pinker, as well as the book A Billion Wicked Thoughts by Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam.

My second problem is that the author seems to go out of his way to pick a fight with religion and religious beliefs. I just don't think that was necessary. I'm an atheist myself, so I agree with his positions, I just feel he'll probably turn off a lot of people who might otherwise have picked up the book and enjoyed it. I do think he should have examined how religions use our Evolved Psychologies to convert and keep people in particular religions, I just think it could have been done in a more, shall we say, diplomatic manner.

I was reminded of a class I took at U.T. called Pseudoscience and the Paranormal. Basically this class was a class on debunking the paranormal. It was a class in the Physics department and was a great way to learn the scientific method and how it could be applied to areas outside of traditional Physics and Chemistry. The class took on cults but not religion, though you could apply the principles to traditional religion as well. The professor never made the explicit argument that religion was a "hoax" the way Gad Saad did, but instead left you with the tools to make that assumption yourself.

I believe if Gad Saad had gone this route, it would have been a better book. You could have still pointed out how religion uses our fear of death and need to belong to keep us in check, without restating Richard Dawkins position that "targeting religious messages to children is tantamount to child abuse". The section on religion, while pointing out how it uses evolved psychology to market itself, seems needlessly antagonistic.

I loved the book and thought it presented some great ideas, however, I know I wouldn't be able to recommend this to several of my non-atheist friends and family for fear of insulting them.

Oddly enough I didn't have the same feeling when he attacked homeopathic and naturalistic "medicine" as I am really antagonistic towards quack medicine myself. My entire family is deeply religious, but they aren't quack doctors. So maybe his book triggered my "us versus them" evolved psychology.

So, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a basic introduction into how marketing and business exploit our evolved psychologies, with the caveat being that you should probably be an atheist or at the very least hardcore agnostic before reading. Alternatively you could skip the chapter titled "Marketing Hope by Selling Lies". ...more

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Stephanie

May 14, 2011 Stephanie rated it did not like it

Basically boils down to "Men buy sports cars and are into excessive risk-taking so that they can attract a mate. Women buy shoes and makeup and diet products so that they can attract a mate. Men are attracted to youth and beauty and facial symmetry. Women are attracted to successful powerful men." I've heard it all before and it doesn't interest me. Also the writing style was too much like an academic paper and relied too heavily on listing 27 examples of everything.

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May 舞

Oct 15, 2017 May 舞 rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-ficition

2.5 stars.

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Bob Nichols

Aug 17, 2012 Bob Nichols rated it it was ok

This book traces consumption patterns back to their evolutionary origins. In many ways, this is an update of The Naked Ape of the 1960s. Helpfully, Saad reminds us that evolutionary psychology must look at behavior from two different levels. Most of us stay at the "proximate" level that describes what we do and how we do it. The author goes deeper and looks for the "ultimate," evolutionary, explanations for what we do.

Regarding those who oppose "the explanatory power of evolutionary theory" bec This book traces consumption patterns back to their evolutionary origins. In many ways, this is an update of The Naked Ape of the 1960s. Helpfully, Saad reminds us that evolutionary psychology must look at behavior from two different levels. Most of us stay at the "proximate" level that describes what we do and how we do it. The author goes deeper and looks for the "ultimate," evolutionary, explanations for what we do.

Regarding those who oppose "the explanatory power of evolutionary theory" because of ideological dangers or biological determinism, Saad in many ways shows how the advertisers see the truth about human nature better than most of us. We are not about "self-actualization," he writes. We are really about food, sex, family, status and so forth, even though much of our behavior is malappropriate because "multiple Darwinian instincts" tug us in different directions. Darwinian rationality he says trumps economic rationality.

Saad references four overriding Darwinian "drives" (survival, reproduction, kin selection, reciprocity). That selection seems arbitrary. Why is kin selection and reciprocity the equal of reproduction when kin selection is, at least as argued by its proponents, subsidiary to reproduction. Also, reciprocity is one of many ways we survive and reproduce so it too is subsumed by the more "ultimate" drives of survival and reproduction. In addition, what role does fear and other-oriented social traits play in our lives? What role does group belongingness play? Etc. These fall outside Saad's "meta drive" concept, yet seem central to who we are.

In a way, Saad seems to repeat what others have argued, and then places "the consuming instinct" on all of it without much of a critical eye. He stamps "kin selection" as true and then turns around and says that friendships are often more important than family ties without accounting for the contradiction. Do we really care about promoting the genes of those relatives who are not our direct offspring, or do we happen to promote our kin's welfare because they are the first members of our group, and we are bred to seek support from and to support our group because it is essential for our survival?

Saad does come right out and refers to many instincts as "drives." That was refreshing. Typically, "drives" seem reserved for our animalistic hunger and sex needs, with the rest of our emotions being largely reactive to environmental stimuli. What Saad does is to show that we have a full suite of inner needs that push us into the world. We are consumers of the world. Advertisers know this and respond to these needs. Advertisers can influence, manipulate and deceive us because we want things from that world (food, sex, status). Behavior is not just responding. Behavior is seeking and responding, working together, both in the service of survival and reproduction.

...more

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Donnie Edgemon

Dec 08, 2011 Donnie Edgemon rated it it was ok

"The Consuming Instinct" is about the application of evolutionary psychology to consumer behavior. The basic idea is that natural selection and sexual selection in ancestral environments have determined the wiring of the modern human brain and vestiges of those primal influences drive human tendencies in consumption. That's right, it's an important concept for marketers and policy-makers, and it's a field that is still under development. However, this book disappointed me. It seems to me that so ...more

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Dennis

Jul 07, 2017 Dennis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A scientific explanation for human consumerism.

This has to be one of my favorites reads of all time. It provides a profound scientific explanation for why we as a species consume the things we do. Why do we crave juicy burgers? We are 99% of all Ferrari drivers men? Why is the porn industry so successful? What is the evolutionary significance of gift giving? Every facet of human consumerism is detailed and explained through a deep understanding of evolutionary psychology.

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Holly

Oct 18, 2011 Holly rated it did not like it

Mostly had a 'heard it all before' feeling reading this and author comes across as so arrogant. No respect for any religion, and frankly, whether you are a believer or not, his type of smug, superior atheism comes across as unnecessary, boring and rather ignorant. Lots of better books cover topics in this book so dont waste your time/money is my recommendation.

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Mimi

Sep 12, 2018 Mimi rated it really liked it

Really eye-opening but depressing. Saad reduces humans to nothing more than their biology for the purposes of understanding how they tick, then never lifts humans back up to anything more than that. He paints people as nearly devoid of 'human' agency and suggests that only the truly careful can avoid reacting in the instinctual ways he lays out in this book. The person who thinks is the exception here, and that was an idea that really left me despairing when I read it.

I would like to read a res ...more

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John

Mar 23, 2017 John rated it really liked it

Shelves: business, non-fiction

Less interesting than I was hoping.

I loved applying evolution to marketing and business, but it felt a little bit less academic than I was expecting from a professor (i.e. using selective pop-culture references as examples).

The author's personality definitely comes through, which is a positive. There are hints of sarcasm mixed in with the information and a certain level of snarkiness that is pleasant if you agree with him and grinding if you don't.

I think the concepts are important to consider i ...more

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Andrew Tollemache

Feb 09, 2018 Andrew Tollemache rated it liked it

Evo Psych vs. Blank Slaters is one of the great grudge match intellectual debates of our age and so I was squeamish about stepping into some part of it by reading this book. That said Gad Saad has written a pretty good book detailing how Darwinian type insights can be very predictive of patterns of consumer behavior. That the spending patterns of various demogrpahics and between the sexes. The book is written to inform people in marketing about how best to tailor messaging.
Sometimes evolutiona ...more

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ger

Jun 21, 2017 ger rated it it was ok · review of another edition

A lot of the stuff is obvious and a bit repetitive. I also look at a lot of ' Psychological experiments ' with scepticism in light of recent revelations about poor standards and lack of solid science. I do think evolutionary views are extremely important and of a great help but that said the hard science has to be transparent. Robert Kurzban seems eminently more trustworthy. At times Saad seemed full of himself and to be honest isn't a great communicator. Some interesting points though.

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Grace

Nov 30, 2011 Grace rated it it was ok

Shelves: psychology, cultural-studies, non-fiction, read-in-2011, science-brain

This book practically jumped off the library shelf and on top of my pile of library books. The cover is a (presumably) naked woman wearing nothing but a price tag around her neck stating that food, fast cars, porn, and giving gifts can reveal something about human nature. I'm fascinated by the human brain and by our biology, especially as it relates to or explains commonplace aspects of our lives. For example, I never thought that giving a gift to someone could be explained by something having t ...more

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Joske Vermeulen

Nov 15, 2017 Joske Vermeulen rated it liked it

Author was kind enough to answer a question I had

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Geoff

Feb 24, 2019 Geoff rated it it was amazing

I found this fascinating and I feel better armed against the tools and tricks of marketers.

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Yanick Punter

Jun 20, 2017 Yanick Punter rated it liked it

Shelves: evolution

It had some interesting information. The rest of the information I was already aware of. Was not fond of the preaching.

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Martha Greenough

Jun 15, 2017 Martha Greenough rated it it was ok

Shelves: science

nothing you don't already know

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Noah

Jun 07, 2016 Noah rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-books, science, psychology

This was a very interesting book. However, the title is somewhat misleading. I would say that the first half of the book mainly deals with relationships, whether they be sexual, family, or friends, and how evolutionary development has influenced and created them. The second half delves more into how Evolutionary Psychology influences the actions of consumers. According to Gad Saad, most of the criticisms of consumerism as being unnatural and foreign to humanity are entirely incorrect. Instead, t This was a very interesting book. However, the title is somewhat misleading. I would say that the first half of the book mainly deals with relationships, whether they be sexual, family, or friends, and how evolutionary development has influenced and created them. The second half delves more into how Evolutionary Psychology influences the actions of consumers. According to Gad Saad, most of the criticisms of consumerism as being unnatural and foreign to humanity are entirely incorrect. Instead, the urges to consume are hard-wired into our DNA, tugging at us through Darwinian needs: survival, reproduction, etc. If there is something unique to many/most cultures, Gad Saad says it is most likely there because of genetics and evolution rather than culture. According to Evolutionary Psychologists, spicy foods and collectivist cultures are both products of societies with heavy presence of pathogens. Female body standards, the violent tendencies of males, women's obsession with shoes, and men's obsession with sports cars are all the result of biology. This all certainly seems plausible, and in many cases I agree with Saad. However, I believe that this book suffers from some heavy confirmation bias, and that Saad sweeps away counter-arguments and differing opinions too quickly. It would have been nice to see him argue some of the contrary opinions more thoroughly, rather than accuse them of just being part of “Movements United against Biology,” as one of his headings declares (p. 19). Not all people who challenge Evolutionary Psychology are blind followers of Tabula Rasa or Postmodernists as Saad seems to suggest. For example, Saad argues that the reason that women suffer from anorexia more frequently than men is primarily because of biological, rather than social reasons. I agree with him somewhat. But he also does not mention that fact that body image and eating disorders formerly are on the rise in men, which would seemingly be a challenge to his predominantly biological reasoning.

The main problem I have with this book, and Evolutionary Psychology in general, is how overarching it is. Although Saad stresses at certain points that this is not the case, it really seems that Evolutionary Psychology tries to chalk up everything to nature rather than nurture. Why are stepfathers statistically so likely to be abusive, and why are paternal grandparents statistically likely to be more distant than maternal ones? Paternal angst. What is paternal angst? It is the jealousy and fear that the offspring of your female mate are not your own. So according to Evolutionary Psychology, stepfather abuse is basically the human equivalent of a lion killing the offspring of its mate's previous encounter. While reading through the part of this book focusing on sexual and familial relationships, paternal angst is such an influential factor that it nearly becomes the Evolutionary Psychology equivalent to Freud's penis envy. It shows up in places that it doesn't seem to belong. I am a little put off by how Evolutionary Psychology proponents treat it as the end-all to psychology, the final key to the understanding of the human psyche. It certainly offers a pretty coherent narrative of human action and development, supported by a decent amount of research. But wasn't that exactly the position that Freudian psychology was in at its height? In the end though, other theories came along and knocked Freudian psychology off its pedestal. It seems to me that Evolutionary Psychology is in the same position that Freudians once were. They will likely become leaders of the field for a while with their overarching narrative, before the cracks and weaknesses in their theory begin to show. Eventually its extreme form will be abandoned, but not before leaving many positive influences behind. Like how Freudian psychology shattered the taboo of sex and its relation to the human psyche, Evolutionary Psychology will shatter the taboo of evolutionary influences on the human psyche, opening the doors for further advancement in the psychological field.

I do not want my criticisms and opinions to put off readers of this book. Saad does a good job using lots of research and examples from contemporary pop culture to make his points. It is certainly interesting and very enlightening. I would say that overall I probably agreed with more than I disagreed with in this book. However, I am always hesitant when an emerging field within science claims to know all the answers for what we have been missing in a certain field. Still, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in psychology, biology, or evolution. ...more

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Gregoresate

Feb 15, 2015 Gregoresate rated it it was amazing

Gad Saad explains his theories of an evolutionary basis for consumer behavior. Since the evolution of the human brain mostly took place before modern civilization, the concerns, cravings, and aspirations of our hunter-gatherer ancestors out in the Paleolithic wilderness are the same ones that drive us in the wilds of the modern malls, clubs, and churches. This is backed up with meticulous notes from Gad’s and others empirical research into evolutionary psychology, consumer ethnography, behaviora Gad Saad explains his theories of an evolutionary basis for consumer behavior. Since the evolution of the human brain mostly took place before modern civilization, the concerns, cravings, and aspirations of our hunter-gatherer ancestors out in the Paleolithic wilderness are the same ones that drive us in the wilds of the modern malls, clubs, and churches. This is backed up with meticulous notes from Gad’s and others empirical research into evolutionary psychology, consumer ethnography, behavioral finance, sociobiology, and myriad other subjects.

There's an equal treatment of theory and application. For example, it's joked about and much supposed that women find men in expensive cars more attractive. It makes some sense that high status men have more resources to provide, but can it be true in our sophisticated, post-modern society? It turns out it is. Studies are presented that show women find men, any men, attractive in an expensive car. The luxury and prestige of the car is transferred to the man driving it. It's also shown that men's testosterone level increases when driving an expensive sports car as opposed to driving a regular car. Clearly there are unconscious patterns at work in consumers' minds that fit patterns that have developed long ago and are still with us.

There are many other examples and presentations. One notable subject that the author has gotten a lot of attention for is his criticism of religion and defense of atheism. There’s not much more I can add to that debate, but I think Gad’s own research frames the issue in surprising ways. Although he does give his thoughts about the idea of God (he obviously doesn’t believe in it), the complaints, similar to other atheists and agnostics, are mostly with the practice of religion. Considering his family's experiences with religious conflicts, which he touches on in his chapter about altruism and social networks, his view is understandable. Religion is practiced by flawed people beholden to evolutionary urges, so obviously there are going to be problems, some serious. However, the same cultural and evolutionary forces that, say, shape a group to become more cohesive and conforming in times of stress also shape them to be more religious. There are desires and cravings that prompt scandalous acts, but there are also virtuous values that result in good ones. Religion may be a way to exploit our evolutionary behavior, or, just as plausible, it's a product of our evolutionary behavior. Regardless of how you feel about, it's an important topic worth considering.

Another part that was of particular interest to me was his thoughts on the intersection of neuroscience and business. One imagines the purveyors of neuro-this and neuro-that consulting some turn-of-the-century pathological illustration of the brain diagrammed with each part associated with some function. The hippocampus controls organization, the amygdala controls fear, the basal ganglia controls some other thing, etc. Fortunately, Gad puts this confusion of the map for the territory reductivisim to rest. Complex systems such as human behavior and personality are much more than the sum of their parts. There isn't a magic bullet to control or program them. The best explanations to deal with them holistically are decision heuristics governed by evolutionary psychology such as what is presented in The Consuming Instinct.

This book was enjoyable and informative. Anyone involved in selling products to consumers, studying their behavior, or even just wishing to get more insight in their own consuming habits will find this book valuable. Highly recommended. ...more

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BookBec

Aug 05, 2015 BookBec rated it it was ok

Not worth my time. I was occasionally interested but often annoyed and increasingly unwilling to consider the author a reliable expert.

There were the grammar issues: "Two key survival challenges faced by most species is ..." (p65) and "Of note, three of the mandates ... is to develop ..." (p292). Subject-verb agreement is pretty basic, especially in these instances. Get it right!

There were the vocabulary issues: "I am utterly mortified by mosquitoes" (p62) -- really? Mosquitoes are that embarras Not worth my time. I was occasionally interested but often annoyed and increasingly unwilling to consider the author a reliable expert.

There were the grammar issues: "Two key survival challenges faced by most species is ..." (p65) and "Of note, three of the mandates ... is to develop ..." (p292). Subject-verb agreement is pretty basic, especially in these instances. Get it right!

There were the vocabulary issues: "I am utterly mortified by mosquitoes" (p62) -- really? Mosquitoes are that embarrassing to you? Or this one: "[A] man ... is aggressively accosted by hoards of beautiful women" (p80). I imagine many men would like to have a secret stash of beautiful women (a hoard), but what's described here is a teeming crowd of beauties (a horde).

There were the unsupported arguments: "This fact is likely true in all cultural settings" (p186) is just one example in a chapter ("Local versus Global Advertising") that repeatedly offered such assumptions instead of actual evidence. Or this instance of failing to do a little research: "I am aware of only one club of male dancers targeted at heterosexual women. ... [Y]et again there are many fewer (if any) clubs of female dancers for a lesbian audience" (p247).

There was conflicting information: "The accepted norm in terms of how much one should spend for a diamond ring is 25 percent of one's yearly salary." Then a study was cited: "In other words, men spent 8.44 percent of their annual incomes on the rings, which is a far cry from the 25 percent norm" (p77). The 8.44 percent is attributed to a specific study, but the 25 percent "accepted norm" was never tracked to a source. Diamond industry marketing fantasy, perhaps?

And the author's treatment of religion, as many other reviewers have noted, was inappropriately venomous. In a book about the "consuming instinct," the author should have a much greater understanding of what consumers want ... and a less disparaging tone about religion would make this book more accessible to many consumers, instead of turning off even those of us who are not religious! ...more

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Kasthuri

Dec 18, 2016 Kasthuri rated it it was amazing

This is one of the classic books on evolutionary psychology. I have read several books on this subject: The Moral Animal by Robert Wright, Why Women Have Sex and The Evolution of Desire by David Buss, The Red Queen by Matt Ridley, The Mating Mind by Geoffrey Miller, Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan etc. but this one stands apart by the variety of topics it deals with. Most evolutionary psychology books deal mostly with the sexual selection but Gad Saad does justice to all the forces of evolution, ...more

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Kevin Connery

Sep 02, 2012 Kevin Connery rated it did not like it

Shelves: non-fiction

If you��ve never read any other book on evolutionary psychology, or on consumer behavior, or marketing, there might be something new here, if only in the bibliography. Sadly, there��s an overwhelming amount of off-topic snarks about religion (in addition to the chapter specifically about how it��s fraudulent and ��child abuse��), politics, and such. Even worse is the large number of references to things which haven��t been supported, but which are noted as ��it��s difficult to imagine�� ...more

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Fabian Il.

Oct 31, 2017 Fabian Il. rated it really liked it

I read a lot of books on the topic this might be the most business focused book on evolutionary psychology. The main points the author makes can be observed everywhere in the business world. Like that we prefer high fat food, that we try to increase our mating status via consumption, that we fall for promises that are build fundamentally on evolutionary fears (mortality, looks, status, health), that survival is of the highest priority, why we collaborate etc. I like to see Evolutionary Psycholog ...more

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Kristin

Jul 25, 2011 Kristin rated it liked it

Shelves: evolutionary-psychology

This book was decently interesting. It had some of the same information as that of The Wild Life of Our Bodies, so it was interesting but a little repetitive because I had just read that book. I definitely struggled at times to get through this book, not because the information was bad, but the style of writing was a little hard to follow. I'm glad I read it, and it brings up very interesting ideas about how very biologically driven we really are even if we pretend to be "above" instincts.

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Heather

Sep 10, 2011 Heather rated it it was ok

Such a potentially fascinating topic, done in by writing that killed it. Yes, a lot of the material is old news, but there was a lot of good potential here, I just found the author's repetition of the same bits of info over and over mind-numbing. (So much so that I vividly remember this 3 months after actually finishing it!)

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Gregg

Feb 22, 2013 Gregg rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed it. He explains (and defends) evolutionary psychology very well and talks about many interesting applications. Makes a compelling case for the application of ev psych to consumer behavior. Definitely an eye-opener and sure to entertain.

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J.J. Johnson

Mar 07, 2012 J.J. Johnson rated it it was ok

Shelves: nonfic

Meh. As sexist and condescending as it is interesting.

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SixH

Feb 20, 2019 SixH rated it really liked it

Interesting. A evolutional point of view about how basic darwinian instincts model human behavior.

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Quotes from The Consuming Ins...

“humans have an evolved capacity to engage in self-deception in order to navigate through life in a delusional state of blissful ignorance.” — 3 likes

“Hope is an elixir of life. It is the engine that propels us forward in our pursuit of countless goals, all of which might otherwise be impossible to undertake if we were bereft of hope.” — 2 likes