Possessions: How We Think about Our Stuff, and Ourselves, as We Own Less and Use More

How Access Is Replacing Ownership—and Changing Who We Are.

"You'll own nothing. And you'll be happy. Whatever you want you'll rent." That was the World Economic Forum's number one prediction for 2030, made back in 2016. Today this tectonic shift from ownership to access is reshaping our lives. We're trading purchases for subscriptions, homeownership for renting, and physical art, books, music, movies, and photographs for rights to files stored in data centers.

This change is more than economic. For centuries, we've used our possessions to shape our identities and define and express who we are. In fundamental human ways, we are what we own. So who are we if we don't own stuff?

In Possessions, Carey Morewedge, an award-winning researcher and powerful voice in psychology, marketing, and consumer insights, takes us on a fascinating tour of this rapidly changing landscape. We're moving from a life of possessing material objects to a life of "liquid consumption": life-as-a-service in which all you possess are your experiences, your brand, and probably a cell phone. From a Delaware goat farm feud to a Quebec City ice hotel; from a contemporary artist in London who barbecues his own work to Taylor Swift fans at the Eras Tour, Morewedge reveals just how complicated and compelling ownership is. You'll learn why you value your stuff so much—and what happens as you trade having things for doing things.

Possessions will help you understand this profound shift and what it means for all of us as we own less and use more.