Book Review: Possessions by Carey Morewedge
Mullet Of A Book. Got your attention with that review title, eh? Here's what I mean by it: The first part of this book, where Morewedge is explaining the actual psychological research of attachment to possessions itself, is genuinely strong and will actively teach you something, perhaps even if you happen to be a similar level professor as he is. The later parts of the book... are more Morewedge using the research to push for his own preferred ideas and outcomes, and your mileage will absolutely vary here based on how closely you agree with his desires. Thus, like the "business in the front, party in the back" hairstyle, ultimately this is a book of personal preference rather than more objective level truth.
It could be argued as perhaps a touch ticky-tack, but one star is deducted for bibliography that is *just* on the short side, clocking in at 14% when I generally expect (even these days, with a more relaxed standard) 15% or more, and with the Sagan Standard (extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence) absolutely applying, particularly in the back two thirds or so of this text in the application and recommendation/ prediction areas, I feel justified here in demanding a bigger bibliography.
The other star is deducted for the myopic and dogmatic back two thirds of the book, where Morewedge fails to consider alternatives to his views and in fact could be argued to have the cart before the horse: Do possessions and experiences *create* the reputation, as he argues, or do they potentially flow *from* the reputation instead? Morewedge never considers this second question here at all, and ultimately the book suffers for not at least having a chapter discussing why he thinks one way and not the other.
Overall though, this is an informative enough book - particularly in Part I - that someone seeking to have a more well rounded knowledge of the psychology of possessions could well benefit from reading it... and then seeking out other books in this space, perhaps with competing thoughts, to compare its discussion to.
Recommended.
This review of Possessions by Carey Morewedge was originally written on September 9, 2026.
