The Times Online has a good book excerpt called Caveman Blues discussing some brain science behind over-consumption, and some strategies to avoid it. Note: It’s largely a semi-scientific read of brain evolution, but worth the read.

Our wiring constantly, subliminally urges us: “Want. More. Now.” Western civilisation wisely reined in this urge for thousands of years with an array of cultural conventions, from Aristotle’s Golden Mean (neither too much, nor too little) to the Edwardian table-saying: “I have reached an elegant sufficiency and anything additional would be superfluous.”

They go on to discuss celebrities, info-mania, and obesity. It’s an excerpt from Enough: Breaking Free From the World of More, by John Naish, to be published this month.