(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Valentine's day: How an economist says "I love you" | The Economist
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Valentine's day

How an economist says "I love you"

Feb 14th 2012, 16:15 by J.M.F.

MICROECONOMICS is full of tools that help explain human behaviour through competition, incentives and signals. But the discipline can seem far removed from real-world situations given the nature of the terms used. On this Valentine's day, Elisabeth Fosslien, an analyst and visual designer has created this brilliant visualisation of love through the eyes of the dismal science. Click here for 13 more.

Readers' comments

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Havilah

This is some seriously important work that you are doing here! Economics is a very big subject. Near as I can tell it deals with the Selection, Production and Distribution on man's values. I have found that it becomes a little easier when we break it down into the Economics of Being, and the Economics of Doing. If we don't first know who we are will be doing in order to be.

Having said that much I should say that the ultimate medium of exchange is Love - it takes things from where they are, and puts them where they belong, and leaves the transaction debt free - No government owned guns allowed.

LX-SD

interesting:) one day after the macroeconomics class in 1992, I drew the MPL curve for a classmate on the blackboard. I enjoyed the return on that innovation for a few good months after that:) [ MPL or marginal propensity to like measures the increasing rate of liking over time for someone]...I am sure, Liz Fosslien would have her time too

peachyw

I would add a natural log graph showing growth of affection over time, with the derivative of affection over time increasing at an increasing rate... (:

guest-iasmeam

from the consumer point of view, am i paying a higher price for less quantity of love??? booooo! open up competition!

Tutankhamen

When Average total cost curve is falling, MC < ATC.
And for Natural Monopoly Long Run ATC Curve is always falling as output rises.
Thus I think the above diagram is perfect even if the commodity is love.

Tutankhamen in reply to EZemALzH6f

Ah Yes looking closely I see the ATC is rising slightly at the end, true then MC should have overtaken at the Minimum of ATC and also in Natural Monopoly the ATC shouldnot rise....

Just think, someone has tried to represent love using Natural Monopoly, and we start debating over the faults in the graph....
Haha, again showing signs of being a greater lover of economics than anything else...

EZemALzH6f

Wonderful, but (sorry) with an error: ATC curve decreases until > MC curve.
Best, Pietro Terna

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