Darwin Goes Shopping: Sex, Evolution, and Consumption

There's no doubt that we are completely dominated by consumption. Far beyond simplistic explanations of how we "like to spend money," Geoffrey Miller, a professor of evolutionary psychology, establishes connections between our prehistoric ancestors and today's excessive consumption, theorizing that the products we consume and the services we engage are simply ways of displaying our physical, mental, and sexual abilities to those around us. He further explains that, by ignoring the lessons of evolutionary psychology, marketers are losing a fortune, as they could focus their advertising on the corresponding target audiences more effectively. The author also establishes new parameters for consumption that, if practiced consciously, will have the power to transform life in society, delay environmental degradation, and, who knows, perhaps even further evolve the human species.