FORTHCOMING · JANUARY 2027 · HBR PRESS
How we think about our stuff, and ourselves, as we own less and use more
Possessions
A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Business & Economics Book (Fall 2026)
"You'll own nothing. And you'll be happy. Whatever you want you'll rent." That was the World Economic Forum's prediction for 2030. The timing may be off, but the trend is unmistakable. We're trading ownership for access, purchases for subscriptions, and physical goods for digital rights.
This shift is more than economic. For centuries, ownership has shaped our identity. In fundamental ways, we are what we own. So what happens when we don't own much anymore?
POSSESSIONS explores how the move from owning to using is changing our lives, our relationships with the things we consume, and our identity. Drawing on cutting-edge research and stories that span Delaware goat farms, Australian housing developments, a Quebec ice hotel, and the Eras Tour, POSSESSIONS reveals why ownership matters so deeply—and what we gain, lose, and become as we own less and use more.
“ That’s mine! We all say it, but what does it mean? How do things become ours, and when do we become theirs? Why are we all renting more and owning less? Is it better to have a life or subscribe to one? Smart and entertaining, POSSESSIONS is a fascinating look at the past, present, and future of ownership.”
Daniel Gilbert, Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, author of The New York Times best-seller Stumbling on Happiness.
“POSSESSIONS is a lucid deep dive into the psychology of ownership. Not just the perennial principles that will govern how we relate to what we own, what we borrow, and what we experience—but also how the world is changing and with it, prescriptions on how to navigate all of the above. I read this book cover to cover and learned something new in every chapter. Brilliant!”
Angela Duckworth, Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Faculty Co-Director, Behavior Change For Good Initiative
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Carey K. Morewedge is Chair of the Marketing Department and the Everett W. Lord Distinguished Faculty Scholar at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. He studies the biases that shape decision-making in a technology-driven world. Carey’s research examines how people make choices about what to own, use, and trust—and how emerging technologies like algorithms and AI are transforming those decisions.
Carey has helped organizations, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Pinterest, Merck, and Leidos, better understand how people think and design interventions to make better decisions. He has taught thousands of students across Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, and Harvard to diagnose bias and improve judgment.
His research has appeared in Science, Nature Human Behaviour, and the Journal of Marketing. He is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, his writing has appeared in The New York Times and TIME, and Carey has appeared on NPR, the BBC, and ABC World News Tonight.