A marketing expert gets to the heart of why people want certain things, explaining how people can, and have, transformed this desire into success.

Drawing on hundreds of consumer interviews and shop-alongs, Yarrow reveals the trends that define our transformed behavior. For example, when we shop we show greater emotionality, hunting for more intense experiences and seeking relief and distraction online. A profound sense of isolation and individualism shapes the way we express ourselves and connect with brands and retailers. Neurological research even suggests that our brains are rewired, altering...

"For many of us, our possessions and the lifestyle that goes along with them are causing more stress than happiness--otherwise known as 'keeping up with the Joneses' or what Alain de Botton calls 'status anxiety.' But James Wallman argues that we are approaching a tipping point with regard to materialism. People are turning away from the endless drive to consume in favor of a simpler, more streamlined way of living ... He interviews anthropologists...