{"product_id":"shiny-objects-why-we-spend-money-we-dont-have-in-search-of-happiness-we-cant-buy-isbn-9780062093608","title":"Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don't Have in Search of Happiness We Can't Buy","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eShiny Objects\u003c\/em\u003e, a cross between \u003cem\u003eIn Praise of Slowness\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Tipping Point\u003c\/em\u003e, consumer behavior expert Professor James A. Roberts takes us on a tour of America's obsession with consumerism—pointing out its symptoms, diagnosing specific problems, and offering a series of groundbreaking solutions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRoberts gives practical advice for how to correct the materialistic trends in our lives which lock us into a cycle of financial hardship and stress. \u003cem\u003eShiny Objects\u003c\/em\u003e, a new \u003cem\u003eThe Paradox of Choice\u003c\/em\u003e for the modern reader, is more than a critique of capitalism—it's also an exploration into how we can live happier, fuller, more productive lives today.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eAmericans toss out 140 million cell phones every year. We discard 2 million plastic bottles every five minutes. And our total credit-card debt as of July 2011 is $793 billion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlus, credit cards can make you fat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe American Dream was founded on the belief that anyone dedicated to thrift and hard work could create opportunities and achieve a better life. Now that dream has been reduced to a hyperquantified desire for fancier clothes, sleeker cars, and larger homes. We’ve lost our way, but James Roberts argues that it’s not too late to find it again. In \u003cem\u003eShiny Objects\u003c\/em\u003e, he offers us an opportunity to examine our day-to-day habits, and once again strive for lives of quality over quantity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMining his years of research into the psychology of consumer behavior, Roberts gets to the heart of the often-surprising ways we make our purchasing decisions. What he and other researchers in his field have found is that no matter what our income level, Americans believe that we need more to live a good life. But as our standard of living has climbed over the past forty years, our self-reported “happiness levels” have flatlined.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRoberts isn’t merely concerned with the GDP or big-ticket purchases—damaging spending habits play out countless times a day, in ways big and small: he demonstrates that even the amount we spend at our favorite fast-food joint increases anywhere from 60 to 100 percent when we use a credit card instead of cash. Every time we watch TV or turn on a radio we’re exposed to marketing messages (experts estimate up to 3,000 of them daily). Consumption is king, and its toll is not just a financial one: relationships are suffering, too, as materialism encroaches on the time and value we give the people around us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy shedding much-needed light on the science of spending, Roberts empowers readers to make smart changes, improve self-control, and curtail spending. The American Dream is still ours for the taking, and \u003cem\u003eShiny Objects\u003c\/em\u003e is ultimately a hopeful statement about the power we each hold to redefine the pursuit of happiness.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Now along comes Shiny Objects, which promises to explore and explain Americans’ possession obsession. Roberts’ book contains hard evidence for some claims you probably already suspected were true... [and] includes some genuinely sobering statistics.  Roberts knows his stuff.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLisa Ko, author of The Leavers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Roberts... gives us evidence that we can’t buy happiness, or stress relief, despite the fact that the current version of the American Dream tells us otherwise. This [book] contains both the plain truth and real-world solutions for the financial dilemma many... are struggling with.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Age Retailer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Shiny Objects [is] an intellectual approach to an emotionally charged subject-—consumerism—with suggestions on how to escape materialism and build a life with real meaning.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Marketing professor Roberts examines the perceived relationship between materialism and happiness in the quest for status, self-image, or comfort, and the havoc it is wreaking in individual lives and the U.S. economy. A far-reaching analysis of why we spend so much and how to break the habit.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Dr. James A. Roberts, professor of marketing at Baylor, has studied consumerism in America and has revealed some of the secrets of marketers in his recent book Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don’t Have In Search of Happiness We Can’t Buy.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBaylor Lariat\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An intriguing cultural history–cum–self-help book with abundant hard scientific data.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Shiny Objects is a superb explanation of how, why, and when Americans became obsessed with consumption. This book is both entertaining and thought-provoking as it forces the reader to confront his or her own views and values. For that reason alone, it is worth its weight in gold.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJim Randel, author of The Skinny on Willpower: How to Develop Self-Discipline\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Without shying away from the unpopular truth, Roberts encourages us to step back, notice, and yes, even laugh at our obsession with shiny objects. Important research findings and Practical exercises help us embrace our values and understand that we can never get enough of what we don’t really need.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eApril Lane Benson, Ph.D. author of To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperOne","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889188958437,"sku":"NP9780062093608","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062093608.jpg?v=1730230713","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/shiny-objects-why-we-spend-money-we-dont-have-in-search-of-happiness-we-cant-buy-isbn-9780062093608","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}