Person
Gad Saad's book recommendations
Across 6 podcasts. Every show Gad Saad appears on, in one place — not just one.
Gad Saad’s most recommended books
- Consilience by E. O. Wilson
- Born to Rebel by Frank J. Sulloway
- Darwin's Cathedral by David Wilson
- The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
- Homicide by Martin Daly
- Sperm Wars by Robin Baker
- The Name of the Rose (Helen and Kurt Wolff Books) by Umberto Eco
- American Buffalo by Steven Rinella
- Immortality Key by Brian C. Muraresku
Gad Saad is a Lebanese-born Canadian marketing professor, currently at the University of Mississippi, and formerly at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal. He has argued for applying evolutionary psychology to marketing and consumer behaviour. During various podcast appearances, he discussed and recommended several books that aligned with his intellectual interests. On The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, he praised E.O. Wilson's autobiography, Naturalist, calling it beautifully written and gorgeous, and also highlighted Wilson's Consilience as one of his favorite books of all time for its exploration of the unity of knowledge. While speaking on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett, Saad recommended Frank J. Sulloway's Born to Rebel as a somewhat technical but accessible work for exploring birth order and radical scientific innovations, a theme he also revisited on The Joe Rogan Experience. Additionally, on The Joe Rogan Experience, he brought up Brian C. Muraresku and Graham Hancock's The Immortality Key when discussing the Eleusinian Mysteries during a trip to Greece, and recommended Steven Rinella's American Buffalo as a fantastic read. He also suggested David Sloan Wilson's Darwin's Cathedral to Jordan Peterson and on Joe Rogan's show, noting how the book demonstrates that religious groups out-survive non-religious groups through communality.
Books recommended by Gad Saad
-
Consilience
Consilience by E.O.
Recommended“So Eio Wilson wrote in the late 1990s one of my favorite books of all time. The book was titled Consilience, right? The unity of knowledge, right?”
Where to get it
-
Born to Rebel
Born to Rebel by Frank J.
Discussed“The book is titled Born to Rebel. And you'll see in a second how I'm going to tie it to the big five.”
Where to get it
-
Darwin's Cathedral
Darwin's Cathedral by David Sloan Wilson is a notable work exploring the evolutionary origins of religion through the lens of group selection and communality.
Discussed“David Sloan Wilson who is an evolutionary biologist he's now retired wrote a book called Darwin's Cathedral where he argued that groups that are more religious than groups that are less religious end up outs surviving the less religious groups”
Where to get it
-
The Beauty Myth
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf is a landmark feminist critique arguing that societal standards of physical attractiveness are weaponized against women to undermine their political and social gains.
Discussed“do you remember the book the beauty myth by naomi wolf did you know that book”
Where to get it
-
The Selfish Gene
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is a prominent popular science book exploring evolution through a gene-centric view of natural selection.
Discussed“So think back of Richard Dawkins, uh, when he introduced the concept of the meme in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene.”
Where to get it
-
Homicide
Homicide by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson is a foundational text in evolutionary psychology that examines patterns of criminal violence and human aggression through an evolutionary lens.
Discussed“This is from uh a book called Homicide by uh Martin Daly and Marggo Margot Wilson.”
Where to get it
-
Sperm Wars
Sperm Wars by Robin Baker is a controversial evolutionary biology book that examines human reproductive strategies, sexual behavior, and the concept of sperm competition.
Discussed“Now here comes Robin Baker actually a British scientist who wrote a book called Sperm Wars where he argued in his book some have said it's contentious others said that it's tight that the morphology of human sperm”
Where to get it
-
The Parasitic Mind
The Parasitic Mind by Gad Saad is a provocative critique of modern ideological conformity and intellectual trends that the author argues undermine reason, objective truth, and academic freedom.
Discussed“and so i had tackled that book at my in my first book in 2007 as a bunch of uh gibberish that was part of sort of the victimhood narrative”
Where to get it
-
The Name of the Rose (Helen and Kurt Wolff Books)
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco is an intricate historical mystery novel set in a fourteenth-century monastery, blending semiotics, biblical analysis, medieval studies, and philosophical inquiry.
Discussed“- Right, then I referred to a book, well originally a book but then a movie. The Name of the Rose, if you remember The Name of the, did you see it Dave by the way?”
Where to get it
-
American Buffalo
American Buffalo by Steven Rinella is a compelling narrative account that chronicles the author's journey to secure a hunting tag in Alaska and harvest an American bison.
Recommended“he has a book on the american buffalo It's a fantastic book”
Where to get it
-
Immortality Key
Why people recommend it: Brian C.
Recommended“when I was in Greece I was with uh Brian M rescu and he wrote this book about the ucini Mysteries called the immortality key it's an amazing book”
Where to get it
-
Naturalist (Pul)
Naturalist by E.O.
Recommended“I recently read his autobiography Naturalist which I highly recommend for anyone who yeah it's beautifully written really gorgeous autobiography.”
Where to get it
-
DMT: The Spirit Molecule
DMT: The Spirit Molecule by Rick Strassman is a scientific and clinical investigation into the effects of dimethyltryptamine, chronicling the first FDA-approved human clinical studies on psychedelics in decades.
Discussed“And he wrote this great book called DMT, the spirit molecule. And he's a professor out of the University of New Mexico and got DEA approved clinical tests on subjects using DMT.”
Where to get it
-
Epictetus
Epictetus by Epictetus comprises the surviving teachings and discourses of the ancient Stoic philosopher on self-governance, reason, and personal resilience.
Discussed“and that the fact that i independently thought of something that epictetus thought 2000 years ago connects me with him”
Where to get it
-
Irresistible
Irresistible by Adam Alter is an insightful exploration by an NYU professor into the rise of addictive technology and the complex business models designed to keep modern users constantly hooked.
Discussed“It's funny because there's a book that I read recently uh by adam alter It's called irresistible and it's about uh addiction to technology”
Where to get it
-
Lying
Lying by Sam Harris is a concise and provocative extended essay that serves as a direct treatise on why individuals should avoid telling lies, including white lies, and instead commit fully to a life of honesty.
Critiqued“I'm going to write a book literally called lying where he extols the virtues of not lying and how important it is to live an honest life and so on”
Where to get it
-
Nicomachean Ethics
The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle is a foundational work of ancient Greek philosophy that examines virtue, human flourishing, moral character, and the ultimate pursuit of the good life.
Discussed“So, I I argue that the most fundamental universal law that is most ubiquitous is something that Aristotle had already talked about in his uh Nicomachean Ethics book, uh the golden mean, right?”
Where to get it
-
The beginning of infinity
The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch is a profound work of popular science and philosophy exploring human progress, knowledge creation, and cosmic optimism.
Discussed“He wrote two uh best-selling books I think one of them is called the edge of infinity”
Where to get it
-
The Consuming Instinct
The Consuming Instinct by Gad Saad is an academic and popular science book that applies evolutionary psychology to consumer behavior and cultural phenomena.
Discussed“Culture laws actually discussed this in this book, right? So I try to offer a biological explanation that is not rooted in religious narratives, right? For why culture laws would have evolved, right?”
Where to get it
-
Why Buddhism is True
Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright is an exploration of evolutionary psychology and ancient Buddhist philosophy that examines how the human mind creates suffering and how mindfulness can alter our perception of reality.
Discussed“I read a Robert writes why Buddhism is true and that really helped that was one of the first books that I read that kind of helped to frame it”
Where to get it
The other 1 book Gad Saad recommended or discussed, ranked
- Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky
Books by Gad Saad
-
The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption
-
The Parasitic Mind
-
The Consuming Instinct
-
The Saad Truth about Happiness
-
Suicidal Empathy
Questions about Gad Saad’s book recommendations
What book does Gad Saad recommend most?
Consilience by E. O. Wilson. Gad Saad recommended it in 4 episodes.
How many books has Gad Saad recommended on podcasts?
We have found 21 books Gad Saad recommended or discussed, across 16 episodes of 6 podcasts. Ad reads and passing mentions are not counted.
What books are on Gad Saad's reading list?
The books Gad Saad has recommended most on podcasts are Consilience by E. O. Wilson, Born to Rebel by Frank J. Sulloway, Darwin's Cathedral by David Wilson, The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf and The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. The full book list below has all 21.
What books has Gad Saad written?
The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption (2007), The Consuming Instinct (2011), The Parasitic Mind (2020), The Saad Truth about Happiness (2023) and Suicidal Empathy (2026).
What did Gad Saad recommend on The Joe Rogan Experience?
Consilience, Born to Rebel and Darwin's Cathedral, among 13 books in all.
What is the latest book Gad Saad recommended?
Born to Rebel, discussed on The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast (2025-06-05).
People who recommend the same books
Appearances
Other mentions (73: passing, ad reads, own books), the 30 most recent
“Yeah, so you may or may not know this, but I actually mentioned suicidal empathy in The Parasitic Mind. Uh so, it's been many many years.”
“So, for example, I tell the story in chapter one of The Parasitic Mind where we're at the the synagogue in Beirut and you know, there's a prayer where you get up, you get you sit down, you go there.”
“So, I I thought maybe I'd give you because I I know that you know The Parasitic Mind really well. And so, I wanted to kind of contextualize this book in relation to that book.”
“Well, The Parasitic Mind was the story of what I need to do to hijack your cognitive system, your your your ability to think rationally. And hence, there were all these parasitic ideas that destroyed your capacity to think.”
“And so what I argue in the book and then we we can drill down to endless examples if you want. I'm not saying that empathy is a bad thing”
“So, in the Parasitic Mind, I talk about social constructivism. Everything is a social construction.”
“Cultural relativism is a parasitic idea that I discuss in The Parasitic Mind. It basically says, "Who are you to judge the beliefs and the practices of another culture? Shut up, racist."”
“So in in chapter seven of the parasitic mind where I talk about how to seek truth I open up the chapter with a long quote by Leon Festinger the pioneer of theory of cognitive dissonance and it exactly speaks to your point.”
“And that's why I talk about ostrich parasitic syndrome in in the previous book because while the ostrich doesn't literally bury its head in the sand, the metaphor is very apt”
“The one prior to that was called The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense.”
“uh and so he has an amazing quote which I use in one of my earlier books uh in the parasitic mind where he basically says the types of mental machinations that the average human being will engage in”
“It's in my first book, by the way. The evolutionary basis of consumption.”
“and hence that's why in in the parasitic mind if you might remember in chapter 6 I have a whole chapter on ostrich parasitic syndrome”
“so in in the consuming instinct which was my 2011 book in the first chapter I go through all of the key uh points that the detractors have”
“but as I explained the paric mind you can can't in the pursuit of some Noble goal murder and rape truth”
“In the last chapter of my happiness book, I quote Victor Frankl, who says that pursuing success should not be the primary aim, but rather a consequence of making the right decisions. I suggest swapping 'success' with 'happiness' in that quote, as that's exactly my perspective.”
“I discuss how choosing the right spouse and profession can lead to immense happiness or misery in my book. There's much detail involved in making those choices, but I also talk about approaching life with a playful mindset.”
“I talk about mindset shifts that can help prevent these types of regrets in my book. The divide today reflects a broader societal mindset: between those who feel victimized versus those who are empowered to take action with purpose.”
“In contrast, the stories I’ve shared about those two men in my book have energized students, showing them that it’s possible to achieve incredible things, no matter your age. Biden’s attitude is the exact opposite; he’s telling a generation that they’re victims stuck in an oppressive system, and that’s nauseating.”
“That’s a good segue to my book, where I explore the connection between political orientation and happiness. Research consistently shows that conservatives score higher in happiness than liberals or progressives.”
“I discussed this in chapter one of my previous book The parasitic mind”
“so that's covered partly in parasitic mind my earlier book and in my next book which I call suicidal empathy”
“I mean the one of the reasons I think that that book did so well is because it really explained how all of these parasitic ideas came to a head together and they were all spawned on University campuses over the past 40 to 80 years”
“It’s both the greatest time and the worst time ever, right? Yeah, it’s a great time because it feels like an asteroid’s coming, yet the asteroid isn’t here just yet. Well, our mutual friend Sam Harris would argue that the asteroid is actually Donald Trump. Oh, for some people, that’s their white whale.”
“and so here the quote in question I have it in the last chapter of uh the consuming Instinct 20 book”
“it's actually in the last chapter of the happiness book”
“and it's also in my my best-selling parasitic mind so I think they've already stolen it”
“although as I of course explain in much of my work and certainly in the parasitic mind you also don't want to fall trap uh to the echo chamber reality”
“you may or may not remember that in the parasitic mind I talked about male feminists as an instantiation of the sneaky strategy”
“I actually discuss this in quite a bit of detail in the book. You've met her, you know, on numerous occasions.”