Book Signing by Baylor Professor at Waco Barnes & Noble Nov. 15

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Baylor University marketing professor Jim Roberts, Ph.D., will sign copies of his new book, "Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don't Have in Search of Happiness We Can't Buy," from 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Nov.15, at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at 4909 West Waco Drive. The book is available at local bookstores Nov. 8 and can be purchased at Amazon and other on-line retailers.

Available just in time for Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season, "Shiny Objects" looks at how the love of money and material possessions impacts happiness. Roberts, professor of marketing and W.A. Mays Professor of Entrepreneurship at Baylor's Hankamer School of Business, is a leading researcher and expert on consumer behavior.
"My book documents the prevailing consumer ethos that more is never enough and that happiness can be purchased at the mall, online, or from a catalog. Money and the accumulation of material possessions are such an integral part of our current consumer culture that few have stopped to think how this mad material dash has impacted their quality of life," said Roberts.
"Some 70 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Over 1.5 million Americans filed for bankruptcy in 2010, and by early 2011, the average American household carried nearly $10,000 in credit card debt," Roberts said. "And yet we throw away 150 million cell phones each year and spend over $41 billion annually on our pets.
"I wrote this book to help readers examine their day-to-day behavior, offering tips and tools to make the necessary changes," he said. "My book reveals the key to reversing the devastating and ever-increasing effects of materialism in modern culture, and I show readers how to actually increase well-being by scaling back."
To find out more about "Shiny Objects," visit Dr. Roberts' blog at: http://blogs.baylor.edu/jim_roberts/.
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Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions.
Contact: Frank Raczkiewicz, (254) 710-1964