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Revealed preferences aren't always accurate
- andybak 12y agoI absolutely love the style and subject matter on lesswrong. Even if they sometimes descend into the equivalent of 'how many angels can dance on the head of a pin' debates.
- webmaven 12y agoThe application of this line of thought to activities such as obsessively checking email (or HN, for that matter) rather than working on your startup/open source project/big idea/ etc. are potentially interesting. For that matter, the implications for creating addictive experiences (eg. Farmville) rather than rewarding ones probably have implications for long term sustainability of business models, though not as much as I'd like (eg. cigarette companies).
- Sharlin 12y agoIt says some quite uncomfortable things about the whole consumerism-based economy we have going on. A friend wondered just today how the games you don't already own can be so much more attractive than the ones you already do...
- asdfologist 12y ago"The grass is greener" mentality goes beyond consumerism...
- Sharlin 12y agoTrue. Of course consumerism wouldn't probably even exist as a concept if our brains weren't somehow prewired to the "gotta catch'em all" mentality. Probably various hunter-gatherer adaptations at work.
- eli_gottlieb 12y ago>Of course consumerism wouldn't probably even exist as a concept if our brains weren't somehow prewired to the "gotta catch'em all" mentality. Avoid projecting onto human nature the peculiarities of your own society.
- kirab 12y agoActually, Buddha figured this out 2500 years ago :) He came to the conclusion that liking and enjoying things is great, you should do it all the time and wanting things will cause grief and you should try to stop wanting things.