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

“Gad Saad has cleverly applied the insights of evolutionary psychology to our behavior as consumers. He is able to explain a huge amount of behavior using these insights. As consumers, we will profit from understanding the sources of our own behavior. Marketers will also benefit from understanding the deep evolutionary basis of the behavior of their customers. Moreover, the book is entertaining and readable. I recommend it strongly.” —Paul H. Rubin, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Economics, Emory University “Gad Saad clearly and strongly shows how our evolved preferences and strategies influence our modern consumption decisions, and he doesn't pull any punches. Evolution matters—and those who understand its impact on human behavior, whether corporations or consumers, will reap the financial benefits.” —Peter Todd, professor of cognitive science, informatics, and psychology, Indiana University; coauthor of Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart “Eventually, marketing will be informed by evolutionary analyses, as people who sell things strive to understand the design of the minds they're selling to. Saad is among the first to shine a Darwinian light on our consumerist proclivities. From advertising to zoophilia, in this well-written book, packed with research findings and interesting examples, The Consuming Instinct elegantly explains patterns of human consumption…and much more….” —Robert Kurzban, author of Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite “A wonderfully engaging and wide-ranging tour of human tastes, aversions, and desires, conducted with verve and wit, all soundly grounded in the sound principles of modern Darwinism.” —Nigel Nicholson, professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School; author of Managing the Human Animal Published 2011 by Prometheus Books The Consuming Instinct: What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal about Human Nature. Copyright © 2011 by Gad Saad. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a website without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Cover image © Media Bakery Cover design by Nicole Sommer-Licht Inquiries should be addressed to Prometheus Books 59 John Glenn Drive Amherst, New York 14228-2119 VOICE: 716-691-0133 FAX: 716-691-0137 WWW.PROMETHEUSBOOKS.COM 15 14 13 12 11 54321 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Saad, Gad. The consuming instinct : what juicy burgers, Ferraris, pornography, and gift giving reveal about human nature / by Gad Saad. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-61614-429-6 (alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-61614-430-2 (e-book) 1. Consumer behavior. 2. Consumption (Economics)—Psychological aspects. 3. Consumers— Psychology. 4. Evolutionary psychology. I. Title. HF5415.32.S18 2011 339.4'7—dc22 2010052000 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Acknowledgments Foreword Chapter 1 Consumers: Born and Made Chapter 2 I Will Survive Chapter 3 Let's Get It On Chapter 4 We Are Family Chapter 5 That's What Friends Are For Chapter 6 Cultural Products: Fossils of the Human Mind Chapter 7 Local versus Global Advertising Chapter 8 Marketing Hope by Selling Lies Chapter 9 Darwinian Rationale for Consumer Irrationality Chapter 10 Darwin in the Halls of the Business School Chapter 11 Concluding Remarks Notes Index irst and foremost I wish to thank Linda Greenspan Regan, my editor at Prometheus Books, for her support throug