Gad Saad


Gad Saad is a Canadian evolutionary psychologist at the John Molson School of Business who applies evolutionary psychology to marketing and consumer behaviour. As of 2020, he holds the Concordia University Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioural Sciences and Darwinian Consumption, writes a blog for Psychology Today titled Homo Consumericus, and hosts a YouTube show named The Saad Truth.

Early life and education

Saad was born in 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, to a Jewish family. His family fled to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in October 1975 to escape the Lebanese Civil War. His older brother David Saad was a judoka who competed in the men's lightweight event at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
He obtained a B.Sc. and M.B.A. from McGill University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. Saad's doctoral adviser was the mathematical and cognitive psychologist and behavioural decision theorist Edward Russo.

Career

Saad has been a professor of marketing at Concordia University since 1994. As of 2020, he holds the Concordia University Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioural Sciences and Darwinian Consumption. During this time he has also held visiting professorships at Cornell University, Dartmouth College, and the University of California, Irvine. He was an associate editor for the journal Evolutionary Psychology from 2012 to 2015. He is an advisory fellow for the Centre for Inquiry Canada.
Saad hosts a YouTube show titled The Saad Truth. As of 2016, his channel has received millions of views.
Saad writes a blog for Psychology Today titled Homo Consumericus.

Research

One line of research that Saad has been exploring is how hormones affect consumers and the decisions they make. Examples of this research include how showy products affect testosterone levels, how testosterone levels affect various forms of risk-taking, and how hormones in the menstrual cycle affect buying decisions. Another line of research has involved gift giving, including how men and women differ in why they give.

Coverage and interviews

Saad has been profiled in the Toronto Star and his life story was documented by the Télévision française de l'Ontario. His views have also been mentioned in The Economist, Forbes, Chatelaine, Time, The Globe and Mail, and The New York Times.
Saad had been a contributing author for The Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal.
Saad appeared on Reason TV in November 2011. In September 2015, Saad was interviewed by TJ Kirk on the Drunken Peasants Podcast. As of 2016, he had been featured on four episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience. Saad has also appeared on Josh Szeps' #WeThePeople podcast, Sam Harris' Making Sense podcast, The Adam Carolla Show, Talk Nerdy with Cara Santa Maria, The Rubin Report, and the Glenn Beck Podcast. In 2017, Saad was interviewed for Areo magazine.

Honours and awards