Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You

by Sam Gosling

Overview

Does what's on your desk reveal what's on your mind? Do those pictures on your walls tell true tales about you? And is your favorite outfit about to give you away? For the last ten years psychologist Sam Gosling has been studying how people project (and protect) their inner selves. By exploring our private worlds (desks, bedrooms, even our clothes and our cars), he shows not only how we showcase our personalities in unexpected-and unplanned-ways, but also how we create personality in the first place, communicate it others, and interpret the world around us. Gosling, one of the field's most innovative researchers, dispatches teams of scientific snoops to poke around dorm rooms and offices, to see what can be learned about people simply from looking at their stuff. What he has discovered is astonishing: when it comes to the most essential components of our personalities-from friendliness to flexibility-the things we own and the way we arrange them often say more about us than even our most intimate conversations. If you know what to look for, you can figure out how reliable a new boyfriend is by peeking into his medicine cabinet or whether an employee is committed to her job by analyzing her cubicle. Bottom line: The insights we gain can boost our understanding of ourselves and sharpen our perceptions of others. Packed with original research and fascinating stories, Snoop is a captivating guidebook to our not-so-secret lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465013821
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	05/12/2009
Edition description:	First Trade Paper Edition
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	485,429
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Sam Gosling, PhD, 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

Table of Contents

Prologue: The Arrival of the Mystery Box     1
Less Than Zero Acquaintance     9
OCEAN's Five     33
Getting to Know You     55
Belgian Sleuths and Scandinavian Seabirds     75
Jumpers, Bumpers, Groovers, and Shakers     87
Space Doctoring     113
In Defense of Stereotypes     137
When Good Judgments Go Bad     167
Like a Super Snooper     187
An Office and a Gentleman     203
Bringing It Home     219
Acknowledgments     229
Notes     233
Index     251

Editorial Reviews

Gosling's conclusions are supported by rigorous academic research, but his engaging book is aimed at a popular audience; he presents it as a field guide to the "special brand of voyeurism" he calls "snoopology." Few readers may actually rummage through their neighbors' garbage in search of what Gosling dryly calls "behavioral residue," but Snoop's conceit makes for an entertaining tour of how people project their inner selves outward into the world.
—The Washington Post

Jay Dixit

Gosling's (psychology, Univ. of Texas) first book will captivate those who like the CBS drama Criminal Minds or the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In it, he examines how we use space-be it a dorm room, a house, a desk, or an office cubicle-to project as well as to protect our identities. Gosling contends that all humans leave behind "psychological footprints" and "behavioral residue" in their abodes. Throughout, he uses the "Big Five" model of personality, often remembered by the mnemonic OCEAN-Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism-as his interpretive framework. Upon finishing this book, readers will surely pay more attention to their and others' cars, tattoos, posters, MP3 playlists, and books for what they can intentionally or unintentionally reveal about the psyche. 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. Recommended for academic as well as public libraries.
—C. Brian Smith

Library Journal

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

From the Publisher