Monthly Archives: April 2007

BITTEROSITY REVISITED.

Posted on April 7, 2007 by Philip

BITTEROSITY REVISITED. The NEW YORKER COMMENT blog linked to my post on whether Nixon’s trip to China mattered (I didn’t think it did). Of course, I checked out the blog and I am happy to find it. One of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, Literature | 2 Comments

HAPPINESS DOES NOT TAKE PLACE AT THE MARGIN.

Posted on April 6, 2007 by Philip

HAPPINESS DOES NOT TAKE PLACE AT THE MARGIN. Behavioral psychologists like Daniel Gilbert have revived the use of marginal utility and total utility. Economists used to work with the concepts, but there were debates over whether interpersonal utility could ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 2 Comments

THE CHANGING CHIC OF NEW YORK.

Posted on April 5, 2007 by Philip

THE CHANGING CHIC OF NEW YORK. In THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, Edith Wharton makes it clear that when Lily Bart moves west in New York City (I remember the move as being to west of Sixth Avenue), it is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature | Leave a comment

CHOOSING WINE.

Posted on April 5, 2007 by Philip

CHOOSING WINE. One of the objections to Barry Schwartz’s argument in THE PARADOX OF CHOICE is, as Annalisa suggested in her comment on consumer choices, that many people love to shop. Barry Schwartz in this interview uses wine as an … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 3 Comments

HAPPINESS AND OPPORTUNITY COST.

Posted on April 4, 2007 by Philip

HAPPINESS AND OPPORTUNITY COST. I said in yesterday’s post that I would explain why I think Barry Schwartz is right on an important issue. Annalisa in her comment on whether consumers can have too many choices pointed out that “The … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 4 Comments

CAN CHOOSING MAKE US UNHAPPY?

Posted on April 3, 2007 by Philip

CAN CHOOSING MAKE US UNHAPPY? Dick Weisfelder in his comment today raises the question of whether consumers in general would be happier with less and cites Edward Bellamy’s novel from the century before last (a tad wrenching to use that … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Literature | 2 Comments

HOW HARD DO PEOPLE WORK?

Posted on April 2, 2007 by Philip

HOW HARD DO PEOPLE WORK? Dick Weisfelder commented on March 28 on how much more vacation time Swedes get than the typical American. I think that Swedes as well as Americans work harder today than our ancestors did. Herman Kahn … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History | 4 Comments

CAN CONSUMERS HAVE TOO MANY CHOICES?

Posted on April 1, 2007 by Philip

CAN CONSUMERS HAVE TOO MANY CHOICES? It is surprising to me to see the articles and new books which argue that having too many choices can be harmful to consumers. It is not that the consumer may choose tobacco or … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Sports | 5 Comments