Book excerpt: This volume expands the field of consumer behavior in marketing in order to understand the “real world”, of underserved and underexplored populations, modern-day social issues, and power and agency. Connecting with others is a fundamental human requirement to survive and thrive psychologically, spiritually, and physically, for both individuals and society. Rather than focusing on normative marketing concepts, this book encourages readers to explore new substantive domains, and analyze them from a holistic perspective. It is organized into four sections, namely “marketing to consumers as…” (1) “mindful, happy and social”, (2) “intersectional, diverse, and inclusive”, (3) “information seekers”, and (4) “social change agents”. Consisting of fifteen chapters written by leading scholars in marketing, specific topics considered here include mindfulness, happiness, loneliness, sex and gender in advertising, privacy, skin lightening, information overload, health and technology, mitigating extremism, charitable behavior, and corporate social responsibility, among others.