Home Psych: The Social Psychology of Home

This book elaborates on all of the psychological aspects of why we decorate our home. It discusses both our need for beauty, our desire for social standing, the pressure to keep up with our social peers, and our cravings for homes beyond our financial means. Home-Psych is incredibly easy to read, written more like an anecdotal tale than an in-depth study. This, to me, is also the reason why it's not a keeper. While a wonderful read the first time through, once read the information is well-retained. There aren't sub-plots, complex nuances, or much missed substance to glean on the second read-thru. In short, I highly recommend obtaining and reading this book the first time... and then passing it on to someone new.

This look at the way people's houses reflect themselves and their relationships with others is a wonderful hybrid of scholarship and popularization. Kron writes for magazines, but her insights come from anthropology, sociology and psychology -- and she's got a wonderful sense of humor. If you've ever wondered about roped off living rooms, guest towels which are never used or cheap soap in an expensively sybaritic shower, this is the book for you. It's a deceptively easy and pleasant read, the anecdotes so nicely illustrating her points that I reread it every couple years.