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Why we crave what’s cool
What does it mean to be cool? It's a means of standing out, as well as a way of fitting in. In studying the brain, economists have found that when we consume products from status brands, it actually gives us…
How the rebel, the beatnik and the hipster became their own status symbols
Did a shift in consumerism in the 1950s change the way we view cool?…
Why buying things makes you happy
From pop songs to Pope Francis, consumerism is often denounced as a poison that thwarts genuine happiness, hampers political participation and erodes social connections. But is it really that bad?…
Will the new killer ‘butler app’ kill our ability to fend for ourselves?
By completing your to-do list, Hello Alfred claims to give you back time for leisure. But do outsourcing apps simply open up more time for us to be imprisoned in other ways?…
Those gifts you opened this morning -- they're worth less to you than the gift-giver paid for them, no doubt. That's the deadweight loss of Christmas for you. But plenty of economists are saying "bah, humbug" to economic rationality and…
Six years ago, during the fall of 2008, the financial world was unraveling. But the origins of the Great Recession weren't simply monetary; they were moral, argues University of Washington professor David Bosworth. And yet, virtual America continues to miss…
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