Buyology
By Martin Lindstrom
Consumer choice is at an all-time high, thanks to the advent of Internet shopping. Yet marketers still know very little about why we buy. Neither do we; consumers often make purchasing decisions in the span of two seconds. Martin Lindstrom, a branding expert, believes that the only way to really understand consumer choice is to discover what's going on in our brains when we choose one brand over another.
Lindstrom scanned the brains of over 2,000 people from five countries and found that not only do marketing companies err in their advertising (sex sells nothing but itself), but buyers deceive themselves about their true motives. Although smokers said that warning labels on cigarette packs suppressed their cravings, pictures of charred lungs stimulated the brain's center of desire, the nucleus accumbens, and actually encouraged smoking. And often, rituals (drinking a Corona with lime) help form emotional connections with products even better than logos do. Lindstrom ensures that you'll never look at products or advertisements as naïvely again. —Brian Andrew
Obsession: A History
By Lennard J. Davis
Obsessive writers such as Charles Dickens and Emile Zola have generated volumes of inspiring work. But compulsion is not always coupled with productivity; there's also a dark side: repetitive hand washing or addiction to sex or drugs. Originally blamed on spiritual possession, obsession was medicalized by Freud. Today, millions of people are diagnosed with OCD. In this compelling history, novelist Davis weaves together examples of obsession from religion, culture, and medicine. He provides insight into why we obsess and reminds us that whether a desirable trait or a pathology, our fixations are part of what make us human. —Victoria Stern
The American Dream
By Harmon Leon
Leon, a satirist, set out on a cross-country expedition to define the American Dream. He chose a funky blend of dreamers to examine and paid close attention to the role of factors such as ethnic heritage and political background in people's unique pursuits of happiness. Leon infiltrated vastly diverse lifestyles, posing as a cast of characters including a sexual deviant, a marijuana activist, a Bible thumper, and an illegal immigrant. He doesn't make much headway distilling his observations into a singular American Dream (money being the only common desire), but if nothing else, his field notes will keep you entertained. —Gina Ryder
