---
product_id: 405429080
title: "Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need"
brand: "bruce hood"
price: "$29.44"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 5
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/405429080-possessed-why-we-want-more-than-we-need
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need

**Brand:** bruce hood
**Price:** $29.44
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need by bruce hood
- **How much does it cost?** $29.44 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/405429080-possessed-why-we-want-more-than-we-need)

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- bruce hood enthusiasts

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## Description

Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need

## Images

![Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41HW-nRpzfL.jpg)
![Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41d4hY7bToL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Give it up
  

*by H***Z on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 December 2019*

This is a thinking man’s Marie Kondo. Kondo tells us to minimise our possessions. Hood explains why we have the urge to possess. From the grand picture of capitalism gone wild, a scene in which we see ourselves consuming more than we need ‘in the full knowledge that we are acting irresponsibly towards future generations because of the limited resources we are using up’, a denial of the same level of prosperity to poorer nations, to the individual desire to possess and own – teddy bears and blankets, attachment toys, the point is clear, we need to desire less. From the point of view of psychology, Hood examines Western and Eastern behaviour and thinking. Easterners are brought up to think collectively, unlike Western emphasis on individualism. Hood explains two important things from this base. First, he explains the apparent contradiction when we see rich Asians buying luxury goods. He explains this by pointing out that apart from East-West thinking, there is also a vertical and horizontal perspective in both cultures. In cultures with vertical structure, competition is seen as a positive spur. Secondly, Eastern culture puts group before self, and thus incline to thinking about duty and self-sacrifice. Children in Eastern societies tend to share more fairly and generously than children in Western societies. Possession, is not the same as ownership. Animals possess, but humans own. Hood points out that ownership is not simply a moral or political issue, it reveals something about what motivates us at our core; after all, ownership is what holds society together, Hood says. ‘Ownership is incentive’. The correlation between ownership and sharing is important because is affects how we distribute wealth. Hence, it is not just important to share, but to know what lies at the core when we think and feel about sharing, and that in turn, is concerned with what we own and why we own. This book is a macro as well as a micro examination, not only of social behaviour, but also decision-making in economics.

### ⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A rambling, incoherent collection of anecdotes
  

*by A***E on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 December 2019*

The author should be profoundly ashamed of this weak, rambling, incoherent book. The question he asks is fascinating (Why do we want more than we need?), but he isn't overly concerned with actually answering it. Instead, he treats the reader to a smorgasbord of anecdotes that are only ever so slightly relevant to his subject, as if hoping that no one will notice that the book doesn't really do what it says on the tin.For example, I agree that the story of Marcel Duchamp's urinal exhibited as an art piece is amusing (and thanks for including the photo), but surely its connection to the subject matter is tenuous at best? And even though I by and large share the author's political views, I am not sure I purchased the book to read his musings on Brexit and Donald Trump, whom he mentions more often than Kahneman and Tversky.Many of the studies cited in 'Possessed' are of interest, but its fatal flaw is the lack of clear structure. It seemed to me as though, having committed to writing this book, Bruce Hood realised that its principal arguments could be laid out in five pages at most (namely, that we are biologically wired to accumulate property as an expression of our status within society, and that the pursuit of status thrills us even though it brings no happiness in the long run). And so, like a bad student, he had to pad it up with the random assemblage of stories and half-baked ideas. Too bad!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Interesting Read
  

*by M***J on Reviewed in Canada on 7 February 2022*

Well-researched and worth the read. Led to some reflection on separating our needs from our desires to possess.

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*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-03-09*