You may also like : taste in an age of endless choice

270 Pages·2016·1.85 MB·English

by  Vanderbilt

ALSO BY TOM VANDERBILT
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THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK
PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A. KNOPF AND ALFRED A. KNOPF CANADA
Copyright © 2016 by Tom Vanderbilt
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, and in Canada by Alfred A. Knopf Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Limited,
Toronto.
www.aaknopf.com
www.penguinrandomhouse.ca
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC. Knopf Canada and colophon are trademarks of Penguin Random House Canada Limited.
Portions of this book have appeared in slightly different form in Nautilus, The New Yorker, Slate, Smithsonian, The Wilson Quarterly, and Wired (U.K.).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Vanderbilt, Tom, author.
Title: You may also like : taste in an age of endless choice / by Tom Vanderbilt.
Description: First edition. | New York : Alfred A. Knopf, [2016] | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015026997 | ISBN 9780307958242 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780307958259 (eBook) | ISBN 9781101947661 (open market)
Subjects: LCSH: Choice (Psychology) | Consumers’ preferences. | Aesthetics—Psychological aspects.
Classification: LCC BF611.V36 2016 | DDC 153.8/3—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015026997
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Vanderbilt, Tom, author
You may also like : taste in an age of endless choice /Tom Vanderbilt.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-0-307-40262-2
eBook ISBN 978-0-307-40264-6
1. Preferences (Philosophy). 2. Choice (Psychology). 3. Senses and sensation. 4. Consumers’ preferences. I. Title.
B105.P62V35 2016  128′.3 C2015-907332-4
ISBN 9780307958242
eBook ISBN 9780307958259
Cover design by Peter Mendelsund
v4.1
a
TO SYLVIE
FOR WONDERING WHY
CONTENTS
Cover
Also by Tom Vanderbilt
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
INTRODUCTION
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR (AND WHY DO YOU EVEN HAVE
ONE)?
CHAPTER 1
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE?
THINKING ABOUT OUR TASTE FOR FOOD
CHAPTER 2
THE FAULT IS NOT IN OUR STARS, BUT IN OURSELVES
LIKING IN A NETWORKED AGE
CHAPTER 3
HOW PREDICTABLE IS OUR TASTE?
WHAT YOUR PLAYLIST SAYS ABOUT YOU (AND WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT YOUR PLAYLIST)
CHAPTER 4
HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT WE LIKE?
THE ECSTASIES AND ANXIETIES OF ART
CHAPTER 5
WHY (AND HOW) TASTES CHANGE
CHAPTER 6
BEER, CATS, AND DIRT
HOW DO EXPERTS DECIDE WHAT’S GOOD?
CONCLUSION
TASTING NOTES
HOW TO LIKE
NOTES
About the Author