Kevin Simler

Who they are

The Elephant in the Brain (2018) returns repeatedly to status as one of those motives. In its chapter on consumption, a table at p. 175, drawn from Geoffrey Miller's Spent, sorts goods kept for personal use, such as underwear, from goods used to show off, such as branded apparel, shoes and wristwatches. A thought experiment at pp. 174 to 177 predicts that clothing would standardise, and the authors conclude that "individuality is just signaling by another name" (p. 177). They label the passage a thought experiment, and this library's audit records the clothing claims as argued rather than tested.

At p. 181 the book draws on the third-person effect to argue that we prefer to think our purchases are for ourselves. At p. 202 it says fashion distinguishes itself from clothing by being impractical.

Key papers

Simler, K., & Hanson, R. (2018). The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life. Oxford University Press. Page numbers refer to the later paperback reissue.

Key ideas

See Hidden Motives.

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