Dollars and Sex: How Economics Influences Sex and Love

by Marina Adshade

Overview

There's a marketplace for sex and love, and you're in it. In Dollars and Sex, economist Marina Adshade converts economic theory into a sexy science by applying the principles of supply and demand and other market forces to matters of love and libido. As she does in her hugely popular blog of the same name, Adshade unlocks the mysteries behind our actions, thoughts, and preferences using engaging research, economic analysis, and humor. The end result is a fascinating look at just how central the interplay of libido, gender, love, power, and economic forces is to the most important choices we make in our lives. Ultimately she shows that every option, every decision, and every outcome in matters of sex and love is better understood through economics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452109220
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	03/19/2013
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	923,084
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dr. Marina Adshade teaches economics at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. In 2008, she launched an undergraduate course titled Economics of Sex and Love, which invited her students to approach questions of sex and love through an economist's lens. The course was an instant hit, and led to the launch of the blog, Dollars and Sex.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Chapter 1 Love the One You're With 13

Chapter 2 Hooking up in College 37

Chapter 3 Love in Cyberspace 61

Chapter 4 You Complete Me 87

Chapter 5 Marriage Is a Fine Institution 115

Chapter 6 Bringing Home the Bacon 142

Chapter 7 The Next Generation Comes of Age 168

Chapter 8 Naughty by Nature 195

Chapter 9 Love in the Sunset (Years) 221

Final Thoughts 248

Bibliography 258

Index 269

Acknowledgments 272

Editorial Reviews

Economists may seem soulless, unlikely guides to affairs of the heart. But Dollars and Sex, a delightful book by Marina Adshade…may convince you otherwise…she summarizes her own research and that of other economists, and shows that forces of supply and demand indeed loom large in the implicit market for romance.

Robert H. Frank

Ever wonder why a high-value mate faces intractable levels of search friction in the saturated courtship market (read: why a nice guy can’t get a date)? If so, Adshade’s got news for you. In this blog-to-book treatise on the relationship between sex and the free market, the University of British Columbia professor discusses sexual behavior in terms of micro- and macroeconomic principles. Chapters dealing with the latter are the book’s most successful; her reporting on external forces—such as widespread Internet use, mass incarceration, and income inequality—lead to provocative conclusions on the future of marriage. On the other hand, sections devoted to microeconomic principles and institutions are circuitous and opaque, and are frequently broken up by distracting digressions. However, when the two sides of her argument converge, Adshade’s strong suit is clear—she deftly relays the basics of economics (in this case, comparative advantage) using statistically observed behavior, and shades her position with astute reporting on external cultural and economic conditions. The content of the book springs from an undergraduate course Adshade teaches called “Economics of Sex and Love,” so readers unfamiliar with Econ 101 (or Sex 101 for that matter) needn’t fear—Adshade’s an understandable and engaging teacher. Agent: Danielle Svetcov, Levine Greenberg Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Economists may seem soulless, unlikely guides to affairs of the heart. But 'Dollars and Sex,' a delightful book by Marina Adshade, an economist at the University of British Columbia, may convince you otherwise."
-New York Times

"Economists may seem soulless, unlikely guides to affairs of the heart. But 'Dollars and Sex,' a delightful book by Marina Adshade, an economist at the University of British Columbia, may convince you otherwise."
-New York Times

"Economists may seem soulless, unlikely guides to affairs of the heart. But 'Dollars and Sex,' a delightful book by Marina Adshade, an economist at the University of British Columbia, may convince you otherwise."
-New York Times

"A most stimulating and rewarding read."-
-New York Journal of Books

"A most stimulating and rewarding read."-
-New York Journal of Books

"A most stimulating and rewarding read."-
-New York Journal of Books

"Sex, love and romance are the obsessions of poets and songwriters. Why not of economists, too?"
-Ben Steverman, Bloomberg

"Sex, love and romance are the obsessions of poets and songwriters. Why not of economists, too?"
-Ben Steverman, Bloomberg

"Sex, love and romance are the obsessions of poets and songwriters. Why not of economists, too?"
-Ben Steverman, Bloomberg

From the Publisher