Diego Basch

Here are some books about society and human nature that I read in the past few months. This list is mostly meant for myself, so I remember them. Hopefully it will be useful to others as well.

• Spent by Geoffrey Miller. Excellent book about evolutionary psychology, sex and consumerism. The author has a good sense of humor so it’s a very enjoyable read. It discusses topics such as intelligence plus the Big Five personality traits. One of Miller’s main points is that rampant consumerism is not inevitable or particularly desirable. Rather, it is one mechanism we use to send status signals to others (something we evolved to do). He advocates moving towards more efficient mechanisms that are better for ourselves and the world. Some of the suggestions are a bit impractical but worth thinking about. If you are interested in understanding human nature, it’s a must-read. If you haven’t, I recommend reading The Selfish Gene first.
• Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Fascinating account of a young sociologist’s years spent embedded in a Chicago gang. It’s an autobiographical tale that paints an insider’s picture of a world that’s foreign to most middle-class people. Poverty, drug dealership and a long-lasting friendship. It reads like a novel and there’s a project to make a movie based on it. I could not put it down once I started it.
• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. There has been a bit of a backlash against Gladwell lately but you should not let that dissuade you from enjoying Outliers. In this book he discusses the factors that make some people extremely successful: their environments, inherited traits and personal motivations. It’s a very subjective book, Gladwell is not a scientist and his assertions have to be taken with a grain of salt. Still, it’s very well written and enjoyable.
• Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. Economists used to believe that markets and economics were driven by rational consumer behavior. This book illustrates not only the fact that humans are much less rational than we would like to believe, but also that our irrationality can be exploited predictably. It contains a collection of fascinating social experiments and studies, and should be mandatory reading for anyone working in marketing. I cannot recommend it enough.
• How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer. We have different mechanisms for decision-making, some more primitive than others. When should we trust our gut feelings, how long should we evaluate our choices rationally and why? This book analyzes decisions from the point of view of the latest findings in neuroscience. Lehrer backs his numerous anecdotes with scientific studies. A good complement to Predictably Irrational.
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. A timeless classic, and the only fiction book on this list. I included it because it is a great illustration of the Nouveau riche in contrast with “old money” in terms of how they seek to attain and maintain social status. It would be interesting to read it after Spent.
• Sway by Ori and Rom Brafman. Another book along the lines of Predictably Irrational. If you liked Dan Ariely’s book and still want more, this book is a tasty dessert after a good meal.