Yes, many things I might do could affect you and vice versa. For example, say I show up in a suit and tie rather than in a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. The mood

Yes, many things I might do could affect you and vice versa. For example, say I show up in a suit and tie rather than in a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. The mood of the evening will probably be a little more formal in the former case. One rule I have is that if we're going out, and I know you've had a problem with alcohol, I will refrain from drinking or ask if you have a problem with me having a glass of wine. If you're sober because, like Tyler Cowen, you want your brain to always run at full speed and for some reason you think alcohol would make it run at half-speed, I won't ask you if you're okay with me drinking, assuming I want to drink—I will just order a Negroni. If we are out, I get a drink, and you start a tirade about the benefits of sobriety, it's unlikely we'll be in touch for very long. A final point is that we need to keep in mind that we tend to claim the beneficial properties of the activities we engage in and to which we are predisposed. Tyler Cowen likes to talk about sobriety and the benefits of giving up alcohol. More than anything, he doesn't like alcohol, so it's easy for him not to consume it. Not surprisingly, he does not evangelize the benefits of moderate eating and physical activity, which, from what we can tell from his appearance, are not particularly congenial to him.