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Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior |  | Author: Geoffrey Miller
Publisher: Viking Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
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Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 123771
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.5
ISBN: 0670020621
Dewey Decimal Number: 339.47
EAN: 9780670020621
ASIN: 0670020621
Publication Date: May 14, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| • | ISBN13: 9780670020621 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
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Product Description
A leading evolutionary psychologist probes the hidden instincts behind our working, shopping, and spending
Evolutionary psychology-the compelling science of human nature-has clarified the prehistoric origins of human behavior and influenced many fields ranging from economics to personal relationships. In Spent Geoffrey Miller applies this revolutionary science's principles to a new domain: the sensual wonderland of marketing and status seeking that we call American consumer culture. Starting with the basic notion that the goods and services we buy unconsciously advertise our biological potential as mates and friends, Miller examines the hidden factors that dictate our choices in everything from lipstick to cars, from the magazines we read to the music we listen to. With humor and insight, Miller analyzes an array of product choices and deciphers what our decisions say about ourselves, giving us access to a new way of understanding-and improving-our behaviors. Like Freakonomics or The Tipping Point, Spent is a bold and revelatory book that illuminates the unseen logic behind the chaos of consumerism and suggests new ways we can become happier consumers and more responsible citizens.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 22
 How evolutionary psychology applies to marketing February 15, 2010
Rolf Dobelli (Switzerland)
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.
 Glad I bought used and he didn't get my money December 23, 2009
James Beall (Macon, GA)
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
I believe an earlier commenter nailed the author with the description insecure. The author embodies every liberal professor stereotype. He insures that throughout the book you know he is a liberal by his constant attempt to belittle those who might consider themselves the slightest bit a Republican or belonging to an established religion. The one exception being the relatively new Green/environmentalist religion.
His fantasy world towards the end where if he were in charge as sort of a benevolent dictator towards the end of the book was a hilarious romp where his constant display of ignorance of why the world doesn't work the way he wants is highly apparent. This is truly where his insecurities shine through.
The positives: He points you in the right direction to find actual research studies that might provide you with enlightenment (see the bibliography at the end).
I had great fun trying to find all the places in the book where he tries to show his liberal bona fides by critiquing Conservatives, Republicans, and believers in established religions.
I bought the book used so he doesn't get any of my money.
The negatives: The lack of footnotes. Chapters are based on his summarizing other peoples research and ideas interjected with his thoughts and ideas.
His apparent silo mentality regarding evolutionary psychobabble and lack of knowledge regarding other academic disciplines and their research into consumer behavior.
 The Caveman Meets Molly Ringwald December 12, 2009
James Muccio (Indialantic, FL)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
After reading "Spent. Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior", by Geoffrey Miller only a few weeks before Christmas I have to say that I am spent. But not in the sense Miller uses the term; although I have to admit I'm not sure how exactly Miller is using the term. It was a tough read and my mind is tired. Why? Because Miller is adept at having us believe he has something important to tell us, but also a master of never quite telling us what that might be. So he tells us a lot of things, and in truth a lot of the things he tells us are really quite interesting (see below). Miller is clearly a very smart man and well read. This book springs from hundreds of others. Miller spent (there's that word again) a decade perhaps researching and compiling his thoughts for this book, the illusion is one of hard science and fact, to which he brings us the universal theory of all consumer behavior. We buy things because we are like a peacock, we evolved to signal something to the world around us, whatever that may be...health, status, intellect, etc.
Although he goes to great length to tell us why we signal, what we signal, and where the signaling comes from his overwhelming tone seems to be that there is something inherently wrong with this, with us, because we manifest our colors by purchasing commercial goods and services as consumers and not signaling using old fashioned face to face communication, the more human communication of the caveman, with other's of our species. But then he tells us it's not really wrong, it's just wrong because we should be buying used clothes instead of new clothes, because if we want to buy Armani shirts to impress women, it's better to spend $5 dollars in a second hand store than $100 dollars at the Galleria. The signaling is the same, whether we are really buying the shirts because we like quality and good fit, or because we want to display to others that we are something we may not be, which is rich. Even if we are lying about our status we still get to save a few bucks. But what if we really are rich? Can we still fly on our private jet to Italy to buy that Armani shirt at the source? This is where he really begins his discussion of consumption and moves away from any science related to evolution and behavior.
This book could be sold as a freshman introductory text on evolutionary psychology using consumer behavior as a case study but Miller didn't stop in time. He continued into a rage against consumer consumption, materialism, the capitalist consumer culture of the United States, and all that is wrong with our superficial and what he calls centrifugal souls. We are a shallow people us Americans, and if you didn't know that, the rest of the world knows that all this country really is, is a coast to coast shopping mall. It's a shame that such a bright man has such a jaded view of our culture. We, as Americans, are far more than the valley girl shopper's that he thinks we are, if only he would leave his academic perch and come have a talk with one of us cavemen as individuals. What you would find, Dr. Miller is that although "we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention [analogy for reading his book] for whatever it is that we did wrong. We think you are crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is . . . a brain. And an athlete. And a basket case. A princess. And a criminal. Does that answer your question?
Sincerely yours,
The Breakfast Club."
P.S. As promised above, a truly interesting idea: Colleges and universities dismiss the notion of IQ as being a true indicator of intelligence but go to great length to only recruit those with high IQ so that they can market a diploma from their institution as the true measure of intelligence.
 Family, Friends, and Sex December 3, 2009
Gaetan Giannini (Allentown, PA United States)
If South Park had an evolutionary psychologist as a character it would be Geoffrey Miller, professor at the University of New Mexico, and author of Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior. Miller uses his irreverent writing style to explain global consumer culture through the application of the science of human nature. This is a particularly good book for marketers as it uses up-to-date science to explain why we, as humans, buy, and why we are often trapped by the allure of consumerism. He bases his argument on the notion that our needs and wants are driven by a psychological (or perhaps biological) predisposition to behave in a manner that signals our physical and mental fitness, and thereby, increases our likelihood of finding mating opportunities and receiving social support from friends and family.
Marketers will find this approach satisfying as Miller points out that we have been relying on an outdated model for understanding what drives consumers to want and buy things-namely Maslow's Hierarchy of Need. Spent's model suggests that humans display conspicuous waste, conspicuous precision, and conspicuous reputation to signal mating and social fitness. (You'll have to read the book for specifics.) Fitness indicators manifest themselves through general intelligence and five personality factors. (If you are familiar with the NEO Personality Inventory, you'll recognize these factors.) When applied to market segmentation, message creation, and media selection, it is my belief that marketers will find this approach more profitable and more socially responsible than the conventional "marketing as a business process" method.
From a literary point of view, most will find this book an easy read. Miller's writing is in the pop-intellectual style made fashionable by Gladwell, but the academician occasionally bleeds through. He offers a fair amount of social commentary which is often arguable, but always well thought out and provocative.
I have mixed feelings about this book November 30, 2009
Markku Ojanen (Lempäälä Finland)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Miller writes well and Spent includes many interesting ideas and research summaries. The interpretations based on evolution are very hard to verify. A good example is section that concerns ideology. The Americal political system is so unique and very different from European countries. Miller asks "Why do more men than women run for political office?" That maybe so in US, but in many countries of Europe there are about as meny woman candidates and maybe more women in parliaments. "Why are most ideological revolutios initiated by young single men?" There may be some truth in it, but many have been over 30 and also married. I am getting less and less conservative thouth I am 65! OK, I am just one example of this trend. There are amazing cultural differences in political ideologies. They change greatly in 20 years. This is difficult to explain by evolution. "Liberalism is read as indicating a carin, emphatic personality that will excel at protecting and provisioning a sexual partner". What is liberalism in Europe? Greens? Socialists? Communnits? Agrarian parties? Some of these are terribly conservative in their values. - It maybe true that we are afraid of talking intelligence differences and instead concentrate on personality traits. Miller is right that both are necessary when, for instance, good workers are needed. - The biological programs are important, but the effect of culture is often so great that one wonders what really are the basic human evolutionally based programs/drives/traits or whatever one calls them.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 22
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