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Rating: 
Summary: Good book - great message
Review: Definitely a good book with a great message. Heavy on statistics and studies. Like others have said, the chapter about what can be done to help change some of the materialistic values of our society was a great read. It is amazing how materialistic our society is. Just look at all the ads around you, painted on buses, in stadiums, on billboards, on TV, on the Internet, in magazines, and in schools. True happiness and fulfillment cannot come from materialism.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely priceless
Review: Great book. Can't say enough good things about it. Kasser breaks down materialism and the effects it has on society. It talks about its effects on one's mental and physical health, how it effects relationships and how it ultimately effects the environment. It is academic, but not so much that someone without a psychology background can't understand it. I didn't find it dry at all like one reader said it was. I was entertained and informed (what a rare combination these days.)
In the final chapter he provides things inviduals and communities can do to fight back against the rampant materialism we're constantly assaulted with and how fighting it will help improve our lives, the lives of the ones we love and the world in general. Make the author happy and check the book out from a library or borrow a copy from a friend.
Rating:
Summary: Academic but Engaging
Review: I found this to be a powerful book. What I appreciated most in this book was that the author wasn't just giving his opinions, but that he cited extensive research to back up his assertions. I've read a few books lately on materialism, and while some were written in a more accessible style, this one answered some of my basic questions about why people behave as they do, and what they are thinking. He also connected materialism to broader issues such as social cohesiveness and environmental resource use that other books, noteably "Dematerializing" ignore to their detriment.It is not a "breezy" read, but the content is well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Academic but Engaging
Review: I have to disagree with the reader from the Canary Islands. This book is an academic account about this important topic, but is anything but dry. For anyone wondering why feelings of alienation are so pervasive in our society, this book has the answer. Kasser's final chapter on "Making Change" is a gem.
Rating: 
Summary: Insightful!
Review: This very short book demonstrates the truth of the proverb, "Money does not buy happiness." Author Tim Kasser cites numerous studies as he makes a compelling case that materialists are lonely, narcissistic, hampered in relationships, compulsive, insecure and disconsolate. This excellent, necessary work should be required reading for every graduating student and mid-career executive or professional. It is not quite a self-help book, although the author does offer a chapter of advice on how people can attempt to change their ways and even to form a less materialistic society. This is not merely a psychological study, although it recapitulates numerous experiments. It is only in part a polemic against materialism. On the whole, it is a curious work, one that may be a bit too facile and popular in tone to satisfy the most rigorous academic reader, yet far too packed with source citations to appeal immediately to many casual readers. We appreciate this thorough presentation of evidence for a truth to which even the most ardent materialists (such as the Material Girl herself) pay reflexive lip service. No individual or society can legitimately ignore the fact that material success does not correlate with satisfaction or well-being but has a high correlation with low self-esteem, depression, divorce and various forms of abuse.
Rating:
Summary: A must-read
Review: Tim Kasser's subject in this book is the relationship between materialist values and psychological well-being. He and his colleagues have done a significant amount of work to identify links between materialism and a host of social evils, including the breakdown of the American family, our culture's lack of concern for the environment, and declining social consciousness. Some elements of the argument are weakened by the fact that psychologists have been studying the subject for a comparatively short time, and relevant studies are few; however, Kasser admits this failing when it is relevant, and support for the most important aspects of his theory is significant. The most interesting part of the book is the final chapter, "Making Change", which discusses strategies for changing our values. In this chapter, Kasser notes the danger in assuming capitalism and the market economy are ideal. He points to experiments in the United States and throughout the world where economies have developed which emphasize small businesses and local economies (Ithaca, NY, for example), which value each person's time equally (i.e., an hour of legal services is not valued more highly than an hour of a gardener's time), and so forth. Naturally there are barriers to some of his suggestions, but there is little hope of effecting change without adopting at least some of the strategies mentioned. All in all, this is an important book for our times. Television and mass-market culture won't save you: pick up this book!
Rating:
Summary: A must-read
Review: Tim Kasser's subject in this book is the relationship between materialist values and psychological well-being. He and his colleagues have done a significant amount of work to identify links between materialism and a host of social evils, including the breakdown of the American family, our culture's lack of concern for the environment, and declining social consciousness. Some elements of the argument are weakened by the fact that psychologists have been studying the subject for a comparatively short time, and relevant studies are few; however, Kasser admits this failing when it is relevant, and support for the most important aspects of his theory is significant. The most interesting part of the book is the final chapter, "Making Change", which discusses strategies for changing our values. In this chapter, Kasser notes the danger in assuming capitalism and the market economy are ideal. He points to experiments in the United States and throughout the world where economies have developed which emphasize small businesses and local economies (Ithaca, NY, for example), which value each person's time equally (i.e., an hour of legal services is not valued more highly than an hour of a gardener's time), and so forth. Naturally there are barriers to some of his suggestions, but there is little hope of effecting change without adopting at least some of the strategies mentioned. All in all, this is an important book for our times. Television and mass-market culture won't save you: pick up this book!
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