Spousonomics revisited


It's a basic tenet of economics that the cheaper something is, the more you want of it  .... By “cheaper” we mean less costly to both you and your partner in terms of your time and energy.[I am not naming "it" here, but you can check it at the original post.]

While it's true that demand rises for goods when the price for it drops, that is a reflection of how one allocates resources.  You would likely buy more apples at 59 cents a pound than at $1.59 a pound.  But you still do reach a saturation point when you simply don't want any more even if the price drops to free. And getting more of something doesn't mean you value it more.  On the contrary, the rarer the item -- or the event -- the more special it is.  That is human nature, as recounted by Shakespeare in one of the famous speeches from Henry V:
If all the year were playing holidays,
To sport would be as tedious as to work;
But when they seldom come, they wish’d for come,
And nothing pleaseth but rare accidents

This truth is what underlies the adage, "Familiarity breeds contempt," as well as Jewish laws that pertain to marriage.


Continue reading on Examiner.com: Marriage is not mastered by economics - New York Jewish Bridal | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/jewish-bridal-in-new-york/marriage-is-not-mastered#ixzz1EAzJRzvr



For better books on marriage, type John Gottman in the search Amazon box on the right.

Related post Spousonomics

Visit my site www.kallahmagazine.com -- not just for kallahs. You can also see posts at http://www.examiner.com/x-18522-NY-Jewish-Bridal-Examiner

Comments

Ezzie said…
Heh - just because of the title: Click.
Ariella's blog said…
At first I thought you were referring to the title of the book I discussed in http://kallahmagazine.blogspot.com/2010/05/love-lies-and-shidduchim.html, but I see that you provided the link to the Freakonomics post.
Ezzie said…
It's about the same book as your Examiner piece, but I had literally just read the Freakonomics piece.
Ariella's blog said…
Yeah, I gathered that. So what did you think of that Freakonomics post?

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