A sensitive and astute observer of emotions, Smith believed that the basic human desire for approval and admiration (in his words, “to be observed, to be attended to, to be taken notice of”) is what makes people yearn for material things in the first place. Thus, consumption and capitalism have always been less about stuff and self-interest (let alone efficiency and innovation) than they are about insecurity and self-esteem. Those who envy others wish themselves to be envied in turn, thinking it will bring them happiness and security. It is this social aspiration, Smith thought, not solipsistic greed, that pushes people to truck and trade.