Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You

Do the things on your desk betray the thoughts on your mind? Does your dining room dcor carry clues to your character? Award-winning psychologist Sam Gosling has dispatched teams of scientific investigators to poke around bedrooms and offices, check out iPods, and peek at personal websitesto see what can be learned about us simply from looking at our belongings. What he has discovered is intriguing: When it comes to the most essential components of our personalityfrom friendliness and flexibility to openness and originalitythe things we own and the way we arrange them can say more about who we are than even our most intimate conversations. Packed with original research and a wealth of fascinating stories, Snoop is a captivating guide to our not-so-secret selves, and reveals how intensely connected we are to the places in which we live and work.

About the Author :
Sam Gosling, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. His work has been featured in the New York Times and Psychology Today, on NPR, Nightline, and Good Morning America, and his research is featured in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. He is the recipient of the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology. He lives in Austin, Texas. www.samgosling.com

Review :
""Snoop" is a tour de force! It's one of the smartest and most original books I've come across in a long time. I devoured it and then rushed over to clean up my desk and change my iPod playlist."-Richard Florida, author of "The Rise of the Creative Class" and "Who's Your City?" "Grounded in first-rate science, "Snoop" is an entertaining page-turner and a must read for anyone who wants to learn about the cutting edge of psychological research."-Eric Abrahamson, coauthor of "A Perfect Mess" "Hugely enjoyable and insightful...Gosling has produced the perfect combination of rigorous research and lightness of prose to create a book that will transform every reader into a super snooper."-Richard Wiseman, author of "Quirkology" "I love this book. The content is fascinating, and Gosling presents it with great style and clarity. He teaches you to find clues about people in the most unlikely places--from the clutter in their closets to the smiles on their faces. If you want to know what your stuff really says about you, read "Snoop,""-Jonathan Haidt, author of "The Happiness Hypothesis" "If you are looking for a lover, a job, a new house, or a serial killer, "Snoop" is for you. It's great science and a fun read by a world-renowned personality researcher."-James W. Pennebaker, author of "Opening Up and Writing to Heal" "Sam Gosling is an engaging writer, a brilliant psychologist, and a charming individual--and he must never, ever be allowed inside my office!"-Mary Roach, author of "Stiff and Bonk" "Gosling is the rarest of authors--a superb behavioral scientist who is as funny as he is smart. One of his great contributions is giving us fresh insight into what makes each of us who we are."-Dan P. McAdams, author of "The Redemptive Self" ""Snoop" isn't conventional self-help. Instead, the psychology professor a the University of Texas-Austin draws on academic research to explain how to look at other people's stuff - music, CD's, books, personal websites, posters, email usernames - and figure out who they are in terms of five traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism."-"USA Today" .,."charming and well written...readable and practical guide to understanding the people around you."-"New Scientist" "Gosling's research addresses some fierce debates in academic psychology, and makes them lively and accessible to general readers in "Snoop,""-"Times Higher Education Supplement" "Gosling's work, reminiscent of Martha Stout's "The Sociopath Next Door" in its vivid, true-to-life portraits of people and places, is a unique blend of scholarly research and accessible vignettes. Expect future books from this young scholar, whose storytelling skills prove he's capable of bridging the gap between ivory-tower dwellers and street denizens."-"Library Journal," starred review "Gosling, a psychology professor, shows us how the bits and pieces of our everyday lives can reveal more than we ever imagined. Did you know that the stuff you keep on your desk can tell a shrewd observer not just your likes and dislikes, but also your political leanings, your sexual interests, your fears, even your secret self-image (as opposed to the version of yourself you present to the world)?"-"Booklist" "The basic premise behind "Snoop" is that you can tell an awful lot about a person based on their apartment; their work space; their favorite music; their style of dress - even their trash. (Gosling approvingly quotes Ward Harrison, a professional scavenger who made a career rummaging through the trash of celebs, who once said, "Garbage is a window into the soul.") This thesis puts "Snoop" firmly in "Blink" or "Freakonomics" territory."-"New York Post"