"Spent: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior"

According to Geoffrey Miller, evolutionary psychologist and author of the new book, "Spent: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior, " much of the pleasure that we derive from our spending is linked to our belief that our purchases will reflect on our intelligence or certain personality traits. Some of the author's new work was discussed in a recent New York Times article:

"In a series of experiments, Dr. Miller and other researchers found that people were more likely to expend money and effort on products and activities if they were first primed with photographs of the opposite sex or stories about dating."

The consumerist delusion, according to Dr. Miller, is believing that our purchases will actually affect the way we are treated by others. He also recommends exercises for controlling our consumerism by comparing the costs and pleasures of our purchases. The NYTimes makes these available at: nytimes.com/tierneylab.