“Buyology,” a collection of findings from a massive neuro-marketing study conducted by marketing guru Martin Lindstrom, was one of my favorite reads of the summer. Reminiscent of Steven Dubner and Steven Levitts’ “Freakonomics,” the book is both an intriguing and informative look at the question: Why do we buy what we buy?

Although few of Lindstrom’s revelations are as novel as “Freakonomics’,” or as conclusive, he demands the reader to delve into the effect of branding on consumerism. Notably, Lindstrom is not an alarmist. He admits that subliminal messages exist and even work, but in different, less sinister ways than science fiction writers often portray. He admits that few of the product placements in movies are actually effective.

While reading this novel, it is important to remember that Lindstrom works as a marketing consultant. Lindstrom feeds readers enough tidbits to keep them satisfied, but his study was conducted largely for the benefit of the very companies that seek to influence us.

After all, Lindstrom argues, marketing is inescapable and if a product is a good one, is it necessarily a bad thing when companies masterfully market it? Difficult to say, but at least Lindstrom’s novel is a more authentic answer to the labyrinth of consumerism than “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”