Reviews
This engrossing history merges evolutionary biology and economics to explain our spending habits. - Mental Floss, "A refreshing new analysis of conspicuous consumption . . . Essential for all psychology collections." --Dale Farris, Library Journal (starred review) "This engrossing history merges evolutionary biology and economics to explain our spending habits." -- Mental Floss "Cool is as important as it is elusive. People want to find it and brands want to be it, but what is it and why do we all care so much? Cool probes the far reaches of our brain to answer these questions, shining a light on the essence of cool and the fundamental motivations that make us all human." --Jonah Berger, Associate Professor of Marketing, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and bestselling author of Contagious "Both a sweeping history and a scientific exploration, Cool charts the evolution of an ineffable concept that, whether or not we realize it, influences our decision making every day. Reading this book can't make you cool, but it can give you the tools to figure out why cool matters." --Richard Florida, Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute, University of Toronto, and author of The Rise of the Creative Class "Steven Quartz and Anette Asp expose a mystery that plagues us all--spending--and do so by uncovering the biological roots that guide our desire for status while following ancient rules that kept our evolutionary forebears alive. They remind us that forces that drive our modern habits were put in place long before there was anything modern. Cool is a delightful book that will inspire discussion." --Read Montague, Director, Human Neuroimaging Laboratory, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, and author of Your Brain Is (Almost) Perfect "An ambitious work that explores well-worn theories in detail before throwing them out, this book rejects the common idea that the world is degenerating into morally suspect, puerile, corporate-manipulated consumption. In its place, the authors propose that inner moral values and external social ones are in fact very much aligned, and that our basic drive to signal social status makes the world a better place. Trendsetters rejoice: Quartz and Asp have got your back." -- Publishers Weekly "A counterintuitive analysis suggesting that consumers instinctively know more about the value of the signals they are sending than their critics do . . . The authors put a lively spin on an age-old argument." -- Kirkus Reviews "Intriguing." --Robert Collison, The Toronto Star, Long-listed for the 800-CEO-READ Business Book of the Year, General Business Category "A refreshing new analysis of conspicuous consumption . . . Essential for all psychology collections." --Dale Farris, Library Journal (starred review) "This engrossing history merges evolutionary biology and economics to explain our spending habits." -- Mental Floss "Cool is as important as it is elusive. People want to find it and brands want to be it, but what is it and why do we all care so much? Cool probes the far reaches of our brain to answer these questions, shining a light on the essence of cool and the fundamental motivations that make us all human." --Jonah Berger, Associate Professor of Marketing, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and bestselling author of Contagious "Both a sweeping history and a scientific exploration, Cool charts the evolution of an ineffable concept that, whether or not we realize it, influences our decision making every day. Reading this book can't make you cool, but it can give you the tools to figure out why cool matters." --Richard Florida, Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute, University of Toronto, and author of The Rise of the Creative Class "Steven Quartz and Anette Asp expose a mystery that plagues us all--spending--and do so by uncovering the biological roots that guide our desire for status while following ancient rules that kept our evolutionary forebears alive. They remind us that forces that drive our modern habits were put in place long before there was anything modern. Cool is a delightful book that will inspire discussion." --Read Montague, Director, Human Neuroimaging Laboratory, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, and author of Your Brain Is (Almost) Perfect "An ambitious work that explores well-worn theories in detail before throwing them out, this book rejects the common idea that the world is degenerating into morally suspect, puerile, corporate-manipulated consumption. In its place, the authors propose that inner moral values and external social ones are in fact very much aligned, and that our basic drive to signal social status makes the world a better place. Trendsetters rejoice: Quartz and Asp have got your back." -- Publishers Weekly "A counterintuitive analysis suggesting that consumers instinctively know more about the value of the signals they are sending than their critics do . . . The authors put a lively spin on an age-old argument." -- Kirkus Reviews "Intriguing." --Robert Collison, The Toronto Star
