Spent
by Geoffrey Miller · first published 2009
67% recommend33% neutral
A leading evolutionary psychologist probes the hidden instincts behind our working, shopping, and spendingEvolutionary psychologythe compelling science of human naturehas clarified the prehistoric origins of human behavior and influenced many fields ranging from economics to personal relationships. In Spent Geoffrey Miller applies this revolutionary sciences 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 a
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Great book. If you like that (or really, even if you don't), I'd also recommend "Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior" by Geoffrey Miller. It goes into the more general evolutionary psychology behind why anyone buys anything. I particularly enjoyed his early anecdote about what…
on “Patio11 says Hello Ladies” ↗Recently I've been reading books about different facets of human nature. Some of my favorites: - Spent, by Geoffrey Miller (evolutionary psychology, sex, consumerism) - Gang Leader for a Day, by Sudhir Venkatesh - Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely Here's a short blog post about these books and a…
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗True but there is more. To go deeper on this you can check Signalling Theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_theory Spent, Geoffrey Millers' book is a fantastically good reading on this subject. You would be surprised on how much that theory can explain and predict. https://www.amazon.com/Spent-Sex-Evolution-Consumer-Behavior...
on “Why do men strive for status and money?” ↗> And of course to show other people that you can afford doing that. There's an excellent book about that. Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior by Geoffrey Miller.
on “Why is every consumer startup selling me what I already own for 10x the price?” ↗I saw that quote on Spent by Geoffrey Miller. It's about conspicuous consumption. That is something that I stand against, as does he. He provides some sensible alternatives (and some that don't make any sense). I still recommend…
on “Please Stop Working on Ads” ↗1) Programming in Smalltalk in 1998 2) Having beard 3) Freelancing with multiple tech 4) Understanding Conspicuous Signalling Theory (read Spent from Geoffrey Miller) 5) Since I've got meditation early I'd add trying to master lucid OBEs younger, they are uber cool. Neo mastering The Matrix kind of cool.
on “Ask HN: What was your “why didn't I start doing this sooner” moment?” ↗May I recommend Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior from Geoffrey Miller? Having a vinyl collection tells something about you...
on “Vinyl set to outsell CDs for first time since 1986” ↗Probably because general intelligence is "the best-established, most predictive, most heritable mental trait ever discovered in psychology." (Geoffrey Miller, Spent)
on “Average IQ in Europe by country (map)” ↗…take for granted what we owe to life itself. Beyond our true necessities and luxuries—our biological adaptations—we get only a little added value from market-traded products. — Geoffrey Miller (from Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior) In other words, your health is worth much more than your startup's expected value. Drop everything else and fix it. Also, you mention that you need new glasses.…
on “ How to balance health issues with being a founder?” ↗Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior by Geoffrey Miller is exactly about this.
on “Review: A Counterfeit, $100 iPhone X” ↗