Author Description

"From the tangled underpinnings of our food taste to the complex dynamics of our unsettling insecurity before unfamiliar works of art, to the complex dynamics of out playlists and the pop charts, our preferences and opinions are shaped by countless forces. And in the digital age, a nonstop procession of "thumbs up" and "likes" and "stars" is helping dictate our choices. Taste has moved online--there are more ways than ever for us, and companies, to see what and how we are consuming. If you've ever wondered how Netflix recommends movies, how to spot a fake Yelp review, or why books often see a sudden decline in Amazon ratings after they win a major prize, Tom Vanderbilt has answers to these questions and many more that you've probably never thought to ask. On this joyous intellectual journey, vanderbilt uses research in psychology, marketing, and neuroscience to answer why we like the things we like, why we hate the things we hate, and what our preferences reveal about us."--