"Hood challenges widely held beliefs about the benefits of consumerism for individuals and society, offering suggestions for better ways to lead meaningful and happy lives. This valuable contribution to the literature on self and society is wise, illuminating, lively, rigorously referenced, and well written, drawing on theory and research from multiple fields (developmental psychology, behavioral economics, anthropology, philosophy, law, social psychology, evolutionary psychology, biology, and neuroscience) to offer a timely perspective on the origins and consequences of the human motivation to possess people, places, and things. Essential reading for all." -- CHOICE "Beautifully written and brilliantly argued, Possessed is one of the few things you really need to own." -- Dan Gilbert, Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University "Science writing as its best. Possessed is beautifully written, funny, smart, and on a topic that is central to our lives." -- Paul Bloom, Professor of Psychology, Yale University "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, Professor of Behavioural Genetics at Kings College London and author of Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are "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, Stanford University neuroscientist; New York Times bestselling author.