The Things We Love: How Our Passions Connect Us and Make Us Who We Are

We often develop intense passions for objects, such as books, baseball cards, ceramic figurines, art, iPhones, clothing, cars, music, dolls, furniture, and even nature. Dr. Aaron Ahuvia's book "The Things We Love" explores why we feel this way and how it can enrich our lives. It reveals that our relationships with things are driven by cultural and biological influences, and that some passions can be sudden, obsessive, or fleeting.

Format: Hardback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 28 July 2022
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Books, baseball cards, ceramic figurines, art, iPhones, clothing, cars, music, dolls, furniture, and even nature itself. If you're like most people, at some point in your life, you've found yourself indulging in a love affair with some thing that brings you immense joy, comfort, or fulfillment. Why is it that we so often feel intense passion for objects? What does this tendency tell us about ourselves and our society?

In The Things We Love, Dr. Aaron Ahuvia presents astonishing discoveries that prove we are far less rational than we think when it comes to our possessions and hobbies. In fact, we have passionate relationships with the things we love, and these relationships are driven by influences deep within our culture and our biology. Some of our passions are sudden, obsessive, and fleeting; others are devoted and lifelong affairs. Some turn dark: we become hoarders, or would prefer to destroy certain objects rather than let anyone else own them. And as technology improves, becoming increasingly addictive, one wonders: might our lives become so dominated by our emotional ties to things that we lose interest in other people?

Packed with fascinating case studies, scientific analysis, and takeaways for living in a modern and ever-so-material world, The Things We Love offers a truly original and insightful look into our love for inanimate objects - and how better understanding these relationships can enrich and improve our lives.

Dimension: 235 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780316498227