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"A diamond is forever" and other fairy tales: The relationship between wedding expenses and marriage duration
Abstract
In this study, we evaluate the association between wedding spending and marriage duration using data from a survey of more than 3,000 ever-married persons in the United States. Controlling for a number of demographic and relationship characteristics, we find evidence that marriage duration is inversely associated with spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony. (JEL J12, Z1, D1)
... Our article is most closely related to recent studies of wedding characteristics and subsequent marriage outcomes by Rhoades and Stanley (2014) and Francis-Tan and Mialon (2015) but overcomes several limitations of those studies. Rhoades and Stanley only examined 418 respondents, while we examine about 1.1 million, providing us with much more statistical power and the ability to disaggregate results by couple characteristics. ...
... The popularity of these dates could increase the demand for venues and drive up the costs of the associated weddings. Francis-Tan and Mialon (2015) found that more expensive weddings were associated with less durable marriages. Additionally, Valentine's Day and numerically special dates are not tied to days of the week and could fall on early weekdays when attendance is inconvenient and possibly lower. ...
... While Francis-Tan and Mialon (2015) and Rhoades and Stanley (2014) have given us associational evidence regarding wedding characteristics and marriage outcomes, the reasons for these linkages remain an open question. One potential explanation is the extent of social support for the couple-or the couple's perception of social support. ...
Characteristics of couples on or about their wedding day and characteristics of weddings have been shown to predict marital outcomes. Little is known, however, about how the dates of the weddings correlate with marriage durability. Using Dutch marriage and divorce registries from 1999 to 2013, this study compares the durations of marriages that began on unusually popular wedding dates with marriages on ordinary dates. We identify several distinct types of popular dates, including Valentine’s Day and numerically special days (dates with the same or sequential number values, e.g., 9.9.99, 1.2.03), showing that on an adjusted basis, the incidence of weddings on such dates was 137–509% higher than ordinary dates. The hazard odds of divorce for these special-date weddings were 18–36% higher than ordinary-date weddings. Sorting on couples’ observable characteristics accounts for some of the higher divorce risks, but even after controlling for these characteristics, special-date weddings were more vulnerable, with 10–17% higher divorce odds compared to ordinary dates. These relationships are even stronger for couples who have not married before.
... We also required that workers had completed at least 100 tasks on MTurk in the past, and had achieved an approval rating of greater than 95% on these tasks. These restrictions are common in MTurk research (Berinsky et al., 2012;Francis-Tan and Mialon, 2015). Of the 2,005 valid responses completed, we removed a small number based on a set of pre-defined consistency checks. ...
... In the online appendixTable A3we followFrancis-Tan and Mialon (2015) and re-weight the sample so that it has a geographical distribution that is representative of the US population. We find quantitatively and qualitatively similar results.© ...
A large body of evidence documents the educational and labour market returns to birth weight, which are reflected in investments in large social safety net programmes targeting birth weight and early life health. However, there is no direct evidence on the private valuation of birth weight. In this paper, we estimate the willingness to pay for birth weight in the United States, using a series of discrete choice experiments. Within the normal birth weight range (2,500–4,000 g), we find that individuals are, on average, willing to pay 1.24, 2.40 (95% CI: [2.03, 2.77]) when the value of birth weight is estimated non‐parametrically.
... Examples of correlation analyses can be found in prior studies [11][12][13][14] Regression analysis is extensively used by researchers in different fields. For example, Francis and Mialon [15] examine the association between the duration of marriages and wedding expenses by conducting a survey of 3000 married individuals in the United States and regress wedding expenses (ceremonies and engagement rings) against marriage duration. Francis and Mialon [15] find a negative association between these two variables suggesting that when wedding expenses increase, duration of marriage decreases. ...
... For example, Francis and Mialon [15] examine the association between the duration of marriages and wedding expenses by conducting a survey of 3000 married individuals in the United States and regress wedding expenses (ceremonies and engagement rings) against marriage duration. Francis and Mialon [15] find a negative association between these two variables suggesting that when wedding expenses increase, duration of marriage decreases. Other studies examine the association between determinants of quality of marriage and its duration [16][17][18][19][20]. ...
Time series models are used to determine relationships, spot patterns, and detect abnormalities and irregularities among data. We explore the application of time series analyses in business research by discussing the differences among correlation, association, and Granger causality and providing insight into their proper use in the sustainability literature. In statistics, two correlation coefficients are typically calculated. The first one is the Pearson correlation coefficient and the second is the Spearman correlation coefficient. In the commonly used correlation analysis (the Pearson and the Spearman correlation coefficients), the focus is primarily on the changes in two variables regardless of the effects of other variables. On the contrary, in association analyses, the researcher examines the relationship between two variables while holding the effects of other related variables constant (ceteris paribus). In the study of the causation, or the cause–effect relationship between two variables, researchers are concerned about the effect of variable X on variable Y. The difficulty of achieving the third condition of causation is believed to be the main reason that in business literature causations are rarely used. The difficulty of achieving a causal relationship between two variables has moved researchers toward a special form of causation called “Granger causality”. We offer practical examples for correlation, association, causation, and the Granger causality and discuss their main differences and show how the use of a linear regression is inappropriate when the true relationship is non-linear. Finally, we discuss the policy, practical, and educational implications of our study.
... Finally, it is plausible that women's experiences of postwedding depressive symptoms are a result of characteristics of the wedding itself, including the absolute cost of the wedding, the relative financial strain imposed by the wedding, or how satisfied the bride was with the wedding event itself (Francis-Tan & Mialon, 2015). ...
... Sometimes, the transition to marriage corresponds with less than ideal circumstances, such as financial debt, oftentimes because of the financial strain of the wedding (Francis-Tan & Mialon, 2015). We wanted to account not only for the absolute cost of the wedding but also for the relative financial strain of the wedding. ...
This study uses the relational turbulence model to examine depressive symptoms in newly married women. It reports data from a pre-/posttest study in which 152 women completed an online survey during their engagement and 6 months after their wedding. Nearly 12% of the women reported reliable and clinically meaningful increases in depressive symptoms after their wedding. Using panel data analysis, this study found that increases in self uncertainty, partner uncertainty, and relationship uncertainty as well as in partner interference were associated with increases in depressive symptoms. This novel test of the relational turbulence model examined the impact of change in (rather than level of) relational turbulence, and the findings extend previous work by demonstrating how mechanisms of relational turbulence impact mental health.
... The greater the spousal age difference or the wife's age, the poorer the mental health of the women, which may be a factor in low marital satisfaction and high divorce rates. A study in the United States on marriage duration found that spousal age difference was positively correlated with the divorce rate: in couples with an age difference of one year, the chance of divorce was 3% higher than that in same-age couples; in those with a 5-year age gap, the probability of divorce was 18% higher; and in those with a 10-year gap, it was 39% higher (Francis-Tan & Mialon, 2015). Another study found that the severity of depressive symptoms among those with poor marital relationships was stronger than that among those with higher marital satisfaction (Karney & Bradbury, 2020). ...
Purpose: Problems in marital relationships due to age gap between a couple may lead to depression and other mental health issues. However, there is a lack of studies that investigated the association between age gap in couples and mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the relationship between spouse age differences and mental health.Methodology: The data of 7,454 couples from the 2008 and 2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were used. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed.Findings: Women who were ≥10 years older or younger than their husbands displayed poor mental health. Odds ratios (ORs) for women who were ≥10 years younger were 1.72, 1.77, 2.24, and 1.69 for stress perception, depression experiences, depression diagnosis, and suicidal ideation, respectively. Furthermore, in women who were older than their husbands, the ORs for cognition of stress and suicidal ideation were 1.32 and 1.41, respectively.Conclusion: These findings support the development of mental health programs and couples’ education via national promotions and projects. Managing women's mental health in couples with large age gap groups could contribute to family stability and reduce divorce rates.
... However, with the increasing uncertainty linked with the duration of marriages, this association is proving particularly limiting for the current diamond market. While millennials and younger generations increasingly perceive marriage as an uncertain terrain, they are increasingly shying away from diamonds, preferring different materials and objects to communicate affection [59]. In this sense, as social customs and practices transform and the meaning of a codified emotion is questioned, consumption practices also change, transforming the market. ...
Definition
The affective economy is a concept that emerged within the field of social sciences, focusing on the interplay between emotions, affects, and economic processes. It explores how emotions and affective experiences shape economic practices, consumption patterns, and the production of goods and services. In the affective economy framework, emotions are seen as not merely individual but deeply embedded in social and political contexts, shaping and being shaped by social structures and power dynamics. The affective economy emphasizes how emotions circulate and contribute to the construction and maintenance of social orders, impacting economic actions. It acknowledges the profound impact of emotions and affects on economic behavior. Thus, this concept sheds light on the intricate relationship between emotions and economic processes, demonstrating how affective experiences influence consumption, production, labor, financial decisions, and the overall dynamics of the market economy. It emphasizes the need for a more nuanced understanding of human behavior in economic contexts, recognizing the significance of emotions and affective responses as integral components of economic activities. This concept is connected to notions of dwelling, topophilia, and affective atmospheres, providing insights into the complexities of economic transactions in diverse cultural contexts.
... It is important to note that wedding expenses are likely highly correlated with the wealth and socioeconomic status of the couple, which is a confounding factor for our argument, because we are not suggesting that wealthier people assign more "value" to their relationships than people with fewer means do. Wedding expenses, moreover, are negatively correlated with marriage duration (Francis-Tan & Mialon, 2015), suggesting that investment in a wedding does not necessarily correspond to long-lasting monogamy. ...
Attitudes toward sexual relationships can have evolutionary underpinnings because these attitudes often serve, or at least reflect, the attitude holder’s mating self-interest. Sexually restricted individuals, for example, hold conservative attitudes toward same-sex and opposite-sex sexual relationships because conservative attitudes benefit their mating strategies (e.g., monogamy). Certain mating market cues, however, can shift attitudes. In two experiments recruiting Americans and Australians (total N = 1298), we took a data-driven approach to test whether experimental manipulations of (1) promiscuity among either homosexuals (gays and lesbians) or heterosexuals and (2) the financial amount that either homosexuals (gays and lesbians) or heterosexuals invest in weddings would shift attitudes toward same-sex marriage, dating, and romantic spending. In Experiment 1, we did not replicate previous findings that homosexual promiscuity affects attitudes to same-sex marriage, nor did we find any effects of priming heterosexual promiscuity. However, priming participants with the notion that either homosexuals or heterosexuals were highly promiscuous increased support for traditional relationship norms among sexually restricted Australian (but not American) men. This effect was smaller when we controlled for participant sexual orientation, because primes of high homosexual or heterosexual promiscuity increased support for these traditional norms in exclusively heterosexual Australians, but decreased support in non-heterosexual Australians. Experiment 2 found that American and Australian men’s opposition to same-sex marriage increased when they were led to believe that either homosexual or heterosexual weddings were cheap, even when controlling for participant sexual orientation. Overall, results provide some support for the argument that mating market cues affect attitudes toward sexual relationships.
... What is more concerning is a research that discovered a link between wedding costs and the couple's age at the time of their marriage. (Francis-Tan & Mialon, 2015) stated their findings in the association between wedding spending and marriage duration using data from a survey of more than 3,000 ever-married persons in the United States. Controlling for a number of demographic and relationship characteristics, they found evidence that marriage duration is inversely associated with spending on the engagement ring and wedding ceremony. ...
Objective - This paper seeks to unravel the element of wedding expenditure in Islam and to present the concept of wedding expenditure management that is encouraged by Islamic law. Methodology/Technique - This qualitative study employs document analysis methods through data collection from scholarly writings in the field of family management. Data will be analysed based on content analysis methods and presented in an organised manner through thematic methods. Finding - This study found two important features outlined by Islam in managing the early preparations of weddings; and three concepts of spending for the purpose of wedding preparation. Previous research has concentrated on the reality of Malay society's marriage spending behaviour. Previous research has demonstrated the necessity for a guideline to lessen the financial load that today's youths endure. Novelty - This study presents the Malay Muslim community with a better and effective management of wedding expenditure as encouraged by Islam. The notion of wedding expenditure management promulgated by Islam is a structured expenditure approach that may be applied by all communities, particularly the Malays, who have a variety of traditions and cultures that involve a variety of expenditure requirements. Type of Paper - Review Keywords: Wedding Expenditure; Wedding Expenses; Wedding Management JEL Classification: D69, H53, J12.
... restrictions are common in Mechanical Turk research (Berinsky, Huber and Lenz, 2012;Francis-Tan and Mialon, 2015). Of the 2,005 valid responses completed, we removed a small number based on a set of pre-defined consistency checks. ...
A large body of evidence documents the educational and labor market returns to birth weight, which are reflected in investments in large social safety net programs targeting birth weight and early life health. However, there is no direct evidence on the private valuation of birth weight. In this paper we estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for birth weight in the US, using a series of discrete choice experiments. Within the normal birth weight range (2,500 g-4,000 g), we find that individuals are, on average, willing to pay 1.24, 2.40 (95% CI: [2.03, 2.77]) when the value of birth weight is estimated non-parametrically. JEL Classification Codes: C9, I1, J1.
... A link between large spousal age gaps and divorce could support such a view (e.g. Francis-Tan & Mialon, 2015), but evidence linking age gaps to wellbeing is inconsistent (Adebowale, 2018;Kim, Park, & Lee, 2015;Kishor & Johnson, 2005;Otieno, 2017), a point we return to below when discussing results of the present study (Section 4.3). Confusing matters further, many public health studies of spousal age gaps also rely on national datasets (such as the Demographic and Health Surveys) which prioritize the generation of representative statistics at aggregated levels (i.e. ...
The marriage of older men to younger women is common across cultures. On one hand, husband-older marriage may serve the interests of both sexes, a conclusion broadly consistent with reported gender differences in mate preferences. On the other hand, men alone may benefit from such marriages at a cost to women if seniority enables men to exert dominance in conflicts of interest. Indeed, in public health large spousal age gaps are generally deemed “pathological”, both a cause and consequence of gender inequalities harmful to women. We investigate these alternative models of spousal age gap using data from a cross-sectional survey of women in Mwanza, northwestern Tanzania (n = 993). Consistent with the notion that spousal age gaps are a product of sexual conflict, women typically married with a larger age gap than stated ideals. However, adjusting for potential confounds, spousal age gap was not associated with fertility or the risk of divorce. Furthermore, women's mental health and autonomy in household decision-making was higher in husband-older marriages compared to rare cases of same-age or wife-older marriage. Beyond this comparison, the magnitude of spousal age gaps was unrelated to either measure of women's wellbeing among the overwhelming majority of marriages where the husband was older. Together these findings suggest husband-older marriage does not influence marital stability, relatively large spousal age gaps are neither especially costly nor beneficial to women, and that alternative sociodemographic factors are more important in driving variation in women's wellbeing and reproductive success in this context. Our results support neither a model of mutual benefits, nor a “pathological” conceptualization of spousal age gaps. We conclude by both encouraging evolutionary human scientists to engage more fully with models of sexual conflict in future studies of marriage and mating, and suggesting that public health scholars consider more neutral interpretations of spousal age differences.
... The premarital engagement period provides a window to understand how individuals stop relationship momentum before additional constraints develop with legal marriage, which makes it an important context to advance Inertia Theory. Because weddings are reputational, identity laden rituals (Humble et al., 2008), many couples plan weddings that are expensive, family-involved events (Francis-Tan & Mialon, 2015). Anxiety associated with big, life-decisions and stressors associated with wedding planning in particular make this stage a crucible for relationships (Blakely, 2008). ...
The engagement period is a critical window to understand stay–leave decisions because it marks a stage when individuals are moving toward lifelong commitment, but do not have the obligations of legal marriage that make dissolution more difficult. According to Inertia Theory, felt momentum can propel couples through relationship transitions without sufficient consideration of their dedication, which could constrain partners in poor quality relationships. Drawing from this perspective, we examined how individuals reduce relationship momentum and end a marital engagement. We conducted interviews with individuals who made the decision to end their engagements and cancel their weddings (N = 30). Experiences were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. The core concept we identified, visualizing, consisted of imagining a relational future (or alternative present) that became heightened during the engagement period. Rituals of wedding planning (e.g., trying on a dress and selecting a venue) appear to serve as a catalyst for this process. This cognitive shift prompted individuals to slow relational momentum (e.g., through trial separations and the returning of rings) and reconsider “red flags” and constraints to leaving the relationship. Once participants decided to leave, they described the process of breaking off the engagement and uncoupling from their partners. Family members and friends who assisted in managing the emotional fallout and logistics of ending the engagement (e.g., canceling with vendors and informing guests) were reported as particularly helpful supports. Visualizing married life beyond the wedding may be leveraged to help individuals navigate premarital doubts.
... The wedding planner is one of the growing business years by year since 2008, because of the budget cost is increasing, it is also increasing the revenue of wedding planner or wedding organizer year by year. Wedding budgets have been increasing steadily since the economic downturn of 2008, and in 2013, couples spent a record-high average of nearly $30,000 [5] A wedding that is taken care of by the family itself will cost less, but even the results will not be maximized if it does not do by the wedding planner [6]. Our professionals are required to design concepts for the bride so that their marriages run smoothly [7]. ...
... Meanwhile, a few quantitative study on wedding expenses were conducted, such as by Francis-Tan & Mialon (2015). The main objective of the study was to study the relationship between wedding expenses and the duration of marriage. ...
... Andrew Francis-Tan dan Hugo M. Mialon, ""A Diamond is Forever" and Other Fairy Tales: The Relationship Between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration", Economic Inquiry 53, no. 4 (October 2015(October ), 1919(October -1930 Sa'id ibn Sa'id Nasir Hamdan, "Ittijahat al-Syabab Nahw Haflat al-Zifaf al-Jama'iyyah: Dirasah Wasfiyyah Tahliliyyah 'ala Tulab Jami'ah al-Malik Khalid bi Madinah Abha -al-Mamlakah al- 'Arabiyyah al-Sa'udiyyah", al-Ijtima'iyyah 5 (2012), 10-54. dan amalan sambutan majlis perkahwinan. ...
Marriage expenses is a necessity within the process of a marriage. In Muslim community, the couple will start spending for a wedding preparations before actual marriage. Couples who plan to marry must provide a certain amount of money to ensure that their desire to marry is realized. There are various studies which link to marriage expenses for the Muslim community.
... In one large sample of women, the marriages of those whose weddings cost more than $20,000 failed at more than three times the rate of those whose weddings cost between $5,000 and $10,000. 12 The median real wage in the United States is actually lower now than it was in the 1980s. If middle-income families must now spend more than before to achieve basic goals, how do they manage? ...
Incentives that lead sellers to introduce quality improvements and cost-saving innovations in competitive markets also ensure that no opportunity to cheat consumers remains unexploited. That difficulty underlies many American laws. But many people lack the income necessary to pay for legal interventions against unjust treatment, preventing them from meeting basic needs, like protection against financial fraud and abusive relationships. Growing income inequality has made this justice gap worse by reducing public funds available for legal aid in real terms, while also making it more difficult for low-income people to make ends meet. Simple policy changes could ease both problems without sacrifices from anyone. Those who could afford tax increases necessary to pay for more social services, including competent legal representation for everyone, resist this step because they believe that it would make it harder to buy the special things they want. But that belief is incorrect because the supply of special things is limited. The ability to bid successfully for them is unaffected by higher taxes, which do not affect relative purchasing power.
... Thus, it is conceivable that HC congruency effects on sexual satisfaction may take time before they manifest. However, the average relationship duration in the present study was still nearly three and a half years, which arguably is enough time for a relationship to settle: for example, a recent survey found that more than half of couples decide to get married within the first two years of dating (Francis-Tan & Mialon, 2015). Furthermore, HC congruency effects were detected in the studies of Cobey et al. (2013) and Russell et al. (2014) even though the average relationship durations were comparable to the present study, or shorter. ...
A number of recent studies have implicated that incongruent use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs) negatively affects various aspects of women's romantic relationships. It has been suggested that women with incongruent HC use (a discrepancy in HC use status between when they first met their current partner and the time of study participation) report less sexual satisfaction and higher jealousy scores compared to women with congruent HC use. A similar effect has also been hypothesized for general relationship satisfaction, and recent findings suggest that the association between HC incongruency and women's general relationship satisfaction is moderated by third-party ratings of facial attractiveness of the women's male partners. Using a large convenience sample (N = 948) of Finnish women, we attempted to replicate previously reported findings but found no support for the HC congruency hypothesis, despite excellent statistical power (≥98.7%) to detect previously reported effect sizes. Instead, after dividing our sample into four groups based on HC congruency/incongruency, we found that the largest differences in jealousy, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction scores tended to be found between women who were consistent HC users and consistent non-users (i.e., between women with different kinds of congruent HC use). We also detected a significant main effect of current HC use on jealousy. We conclude that HC congruency effects reported in previous studies may have spuriously arisen from unequal distributions of current HC users within congruent and incongruent HC user groups.
... Religion is of major importance in the lives of many people, providing them with a way to understand their own lives as well as the world in which they live (Carone and Barone 2001). Religious people enjoy superior mental health (Wolf et al. 2014), happier and more satisfying lives (Ayele et al. 1999;Ellison et al. 1989;Hadaway 1978;Stavrova et al. 2013) and even more stable marriages (Francis-Tan and Mialon 2015) compared with their nonreligious counterparts. There is also evidence that religious involvement protects against suicide (Kleiman and Liu 2014), depression (Ronneberg et al. 2014), substance abuse (Salas-Wright et al. 2012) and stress-related disorders (Bonelli and Koenig 2013). ...
Religious behaviour tends to correlate positively with life satisfaction. The predictive power of this relationship is associated with various socio-demographic factors such as age, gender and religious affiliation. We investigated the relationship between religious involvement and life satisfaction in a multi-religious population of undergraduate medical students of the University of the West Indies. We used a cross-sectional design to assess 228 undergraduates (50 males and 178 females) on religiosity, religious well-being and life satisfaction using the Religious Orientation Test, Religious Well-Being subscale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale, respectively. Respondents also provided socio-demographic information such as age, gender and religious affiliation. “How religious one considers oneself” was the religiosity construct most significantly associated with life satisfaction while “frequency of prayer” was the least. Christians registered higher religiosity and religious well-being but non-Christians reported significantly higher life satisfaction. Muslim and Hindu scores on religiosity, religious well-being and life satisfaction were not statistically different. Females scored higher than males on religiosity (borderline significant, p = .054) and significantly higher on religious well-being (p < .01); however, there was no significant difference between males and females on life satisfaction. The “religious affiliation” group scored significantly higher on religiosity and religious well-being compared with the “no religious affiliation” group but there was no difference between these two groups on life satisfaction. Religiosity and religious well-being were overall significantly and positively associated with life satisfaction. However, in demographic groups where there was higher religiosity, for example females, Christians, people affiliated with a religion and older people, it was not associated with greater life satisfaction.
... While Francis-Tan and Mialon (2015) and Rhoades and Stanley (2014) have given us associational evidence regarding wedding characteristics and marriage outcomes, the reasons behind these linkages remain an open question. One potential explanation is the extent of social support for the couple-or the couple's perception of social support. ...
... Civil marriage itself has been found to be associated with longer relationship duration; the longer a couple is married, the lower the odds of the relationship ending in divorce (e.g., White & Booth, 1991). Other studies have focused on demographic factors associated with relationship longevity , such as having children in the household (for a review, see Papalia, Sterns, Feldman, & Camp, 2002), age at marriage and prior cohabitation (e.g., Kuperberg, 2014), and higher household income and demographic similarity within couples (e.g., Adams, 1979; Francis & Mialon, 2014; Laumann, Gagnon, Michael, & Michaels, 1994 ). Different-sex couple longevity has also been found to be associated with having positive communication patterns, higher levels of relationship commitment, and similar interests (e.g., Bachand & Caron, 2001; Lavner & Bradbury, 2012; Robinson & Blanton, 1993). ...
Long-term same-sex couples have maintained relationships within a sociopolitical environment that has historically stigmatized and provided little or no legal recognition for their relationship. In a qualitative interview study about relationships, 31 same-sex couples, in relationships lasting from 13 to 41 years (mean length = 22.6 years), were asked to discuss their perceptions of the factors or strengths they have as a couple that contribute to the “success” or longevity of their committed relationship. All couples were in legally recognized relationships (21 married, 10 in civil unions). Thematic analyses of the responses revealed six themes summarizing the lived experiences that couples perceived as contributing to their relationship longevity: Communication; Similarities in Values; Complementary Similarities and Differences; Sharing Experiences; Commitment to the Relationship; and Support From Others. These themes are illustrated with quotes from couple discussions and discussed in the context of long-term committed relationships. The implications of the findings for future study of longevity of same-sex couple relationships and within a conceptual framework of commitment are discussed.
The interface of sexual behavior and evolutionary psychology is a rapidly growing domain, rich in psychological theories and data as well as controversies and applications. With nearly eighty chapters by leading researchers from around the world, and combining theoretical and empirical perspectives, The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Sexual Psychology is the most comprehensive and up-to-date reference work in the field. Providing a broad yet in-depth overview of the various evolutionary principles that influence all types of sexual behaviors, the handbook takes an inclusive approach that draws on a number of disciplines and covers nonhuman and human psychology. It is an essential resource for both established researchers and students in psychology, biology, anthropology, medicine, and criminology, among other fields. Volume 3: Female Sexual Adaptations addresses theory and research focused on sexual adaptations in human females.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate assortative mating processes inside Internet-dating-service settings. Unattached consumers traditionally sought to satisfy their need for love through conventional search processes, including old-fashioned match-making. That was then, this is now; dozens of internet-mediated dating websites promising romantic-love-matches currently operate internationally. These dating services cultivate dating-exchanges by offering new-fashioned match-making processes. Despite these trends, theoretical and practical questions related to how and why dating services marketers might induce superior romantic exchanges between customers by managing assortative mating processes remain unanswered until now.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey-based approach was used to test hypotheses. Pretests were conducted to develop reliable measures of assortative mating propensity. Seven subconstructs of assortative mating were identified by analyzing data from a representative sample. The measurement model was validated before hypotheses testing. The focal assortative mating construct was measured formatively; assortative mating subdimensions functioned as indicators. The model was tested by structural equation modeling.
Findings
Assortative mating processes facilitated superior preference-selection outcomes for individuals seeking consumer-to-consumer romantic relationships inside internet-mediated service settings. Insights were generated about how and why assortative mating processes exercised positive effects on consumers’ attitudes toward online dating and about how dating services marketers might leverage assortative mating tendencies to benefit consumers.
Originality/value
A novel concept was introduced to the services marketing literature, as were several theoretical implications. The study simultaneously measured consumers’ propensities to engage in assortative mating and captured the effects of various physical/behavioral consumer characteristics. This study develops new and practical insights about how dating service marketers could manage the effects of assortative mating processes.
This article aims to substantiate how processes of valuation translate between different registers of value. We develop an analytical framework of how valuation is intertwined with geographic origination and the geographies of association and dissociation, which establish how commodities and consumer products are either associated with, or dissociated from, matters that are beneficial or damaging for sales and brand reputation. The article focuses on the rather unexplored gemstone and jewelry sector, and shows how the analysis of value is not reducible to Marxist notions of exchange and use value but needs to take into account symbolic and sign value, and embrace dis/association dialectics. It develops a novel conceptual framework that draws upon the early work of Baudrillard on symbolic value, together with Marxian value theory, and mobilizes it for the analysis of association–dissociation dialectics and practices in global value chains. We are particularly concerned with the role of origination and provenance to highlight the intrinsically geographic dimensions of gemstones that are enacted by traders and retailers in the valuation process. The article shows how valuation and consumption of gemstone and jewelry play out through complex and multiscalar, relational associative and dissociative practices, which intertwine with revealed sustainability problems in the diamond industry. It also shows how a current rise in the value and popularity of colored stones interrelate with a corporate refocusing away from mined diamonds, and entails even more in-transparent supply networks.
We examined the association between mental health and relationship and wedding factors among engaged women planning their weddings before and during Covid-19. Survey data from 715 non-Covid-19 and 427 Covid-19 participants revealed that Covid-19 participants experienced depression in greater proportion than non-Covid-19 participants. Wedding satisfaction and financial strain were stronger predictors of depression for Covid-19 than non-Covid-19 participants. Other significant predictors of Covid-19 participants’ depression included social isolation, relational satisfaction and turbulence, and wedding disillusionment. Additionally, 22.0% of Covid-19 participants reported severe levels of anxiety, which was significantly predicted by social isolation, relational turbulence, wedding financial strain, wedding disillusionment, and wedding satisfaction. According to Covid-19 participants’ open-ended responses, less depressed participants liked something better about their revised wedding plans, more anxious participants could not identify positive aspects of their revised plans, and less anxious participants appreciated the perspective that came with revising wedding plans due to Covid-19.
Responding to calls to take a more active role in communicating their research findings, scientists are increasingly using open online platforms, such as Twitter, to engage in science communication or to publicize their work. Given the ease at which misinformation spreads on these platforms it is important for scientists to present their findings in a manner that appears credible. To examine the extent to which the online presentation of science information relates to its perceived credibility, we designed and conducted two surveys on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. In the first survey, participants rated the credibility of science information on Twitter compared with the same information other media, and in the second, participants rated the credibility of tweets with modified characteristics: presence of an image, text sentiment, and the number of likes/retweets. We find that similar information about scientific findings is perceived as less credible when presented on Twitter compared to other platforms, and that perceived credibility increases when presented with recognizable features of a scientific article. On a platform as widely distrusted as Twitter, use of these features may allow researchers who regularly use Twitter for research-related networking and communication to present their findings in the most credible formats.
Peer Review
https://publons.com/publon/10.1162/qss_a_00151
Wives are usually younger than their husbands. Although this has been replicated across time and culture, there is no previous evidence of the likely evolutionary underpinnings of this age gap. Study Set 1 replicated the marriage age gap-and its moderators-in 6.4 million American marriages that led to U.S. births between 2016 and 2018. This effect also replicated in three million unmarried unions. Study 2 directly examined the life history tradeoff that connects the marriage age gap to selective fitness. When husbands are somewhat older than wives (but neither much older nor much younger), selective fitness is high, as operationalized by rates of short-term infant survival and neonatal breastfeeding. This pattern held independent of the robust effects of maternal age. Eight cross-cultural replications involving more than 225,000 mothers in low- to moderate-income nations examined lifetime selective fitness (total number of living children) rather than single birth outcomes. In all eight nations, analyses revealed both a husband-older age gap and a life history tradeoff in lifetime selective fitness. Life history tradeoffs account well for the husband-older age gap in marriage. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
We document a long-lasting association between a common societal phenomenon, early-life family disruption, and investment behavior. Controlling for socioeconomic status and family background, we find fund managers who experienced the death or divorce of their parents during childhood exhibit a stronger disposition effect, take lower risk, and are more likely to sell their holdings following risk-increasing firm events. The results are consistent with persistent symptoms of post-traumatic stress and strengthen as treatment intensifies. The evidence adds to our understanding of the role of social factors and “nurture” in finance as well as the origin of investment biases.
We study the determinants of season of birth for married women aged 20-45 in the US, using birth certificate and Census data. We also elicit the willingness to pay for season of birth through discrete choice experiments implemented on the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform. We document that the probability of a spring first birth is significantly related to mother's age, education, race, ethnicity, smoking status during pregnancy, receiving WIC food benefits during pregnancy, pre-pregnancy obesity and the mother working in "education, training, and library" occupations, whereas among unmarried women without a father acknowledged on their child's birth certificate, all our findings are muted. A summer first birth does not depend on socioeconomic characteristics, although it is the most common birth season in the US. Among married women aged 20-45, we estimate the average marginal willingness to pay (WTP) for a spring birth to be 877 USD. This implies a willingness to trade-off 560 grams of birth weight to achieve a spring birth. Finally, we estimate that an increase of 1,000 USD in the predicted marginal WTP for a spring birth is associated with a 15 pp increase in the probability of obtaining an actual spring birth. JEL Classification Codes: I10, J01, J13.
Cambridge Core - Social Psychology - The New Psychology of Love - edited by Robert J. Sternberg
Past research on religious homogamy has struggled to distinguish whether religiosity or homogamy has a stronger impact on preventing a marital dissolution. In order to rectify this problem, I use a latent class approach to compare couples with various forms of partner religiosity and similarity. Based on 707 newlywed couples from the Marriage Matters survey (1998–2004), I discovered four latent classes: “holy” couples (both partners are highly religious), “non-attending” couples (both partners identify as religious, but don't regularly attend services), “unbalanced” couples (the wife is religious, but the husband is not), and “secular” couples (both partners are not religious). Findings indicate that holy, non-attending, and unbalanced couples experience less odds of divorce compared to secular couples, suggesting that religiosity in a variety of forms is more important than partner similarity in avoiding divorce.
We propose a new index to quantify SSRN downloads. Unlike the SSRN downloads
rank, which is based on the total number of an author's SSRN downloads, our
index also reflects the author's productivity by taking into account the
download numbers for the papers. Our index is inspired by - but is not the same
as - Hirsch's h-index for citations, which cannot be directly applied to SSRN
downloads. We analyze data for about 30,000 authors and 367,000 papers. We find
a simple empirical formula for the SSRN author rank via a Gaussian function of
the log of the number of downloads.
Are citizens competent to assess the performance of incumbent politicians? Observational studies cast doubt on voter competence by documenting several biases in retrospective assessments of performance. However, these studies are open to alternative interpretations because of the complexity of the real world. In this article, we show that these biases in retrospective evaluations occur even in the simplified setting of experimental games. In three experiments, our participants (1) overweighted recent relative to overall incumbent performance when made aware of an election closer rather than more distant from that event, (2) allowed an unrelated lottery that affected their welfare to influence their choices, and (3) were influenced by rhetoric to give more weight to recent rather than overall incumbent performance. These biases were apparent even though we informed and incentivized respondents to weight all performance equally. Our findings point to key limitations in voters’ ability to use a retrospective decision rule.
In this paper we examine how children affect happiness and relationships within a family by analyzing two unique questions in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth's 1997 cohort. We find that (a) presence of children is associated with a loss of spousal love; (b) loss of spousal love is associated with loss of overall happiness; but (c) presence of children is not associated with significant loss of overall happiness. If children reduce feelings of being loved by the spouse but do not reduce reported happiness even though spousal love induces happiness, then it must be the case that children contribute to parental happiness by providing other benefits. After ruling out some competing compensation mechanisms we infer that loss of spousal love is compensated with altruistic feelings towards children.
Signaling theory provides an opportunity to integrate an interactive theory of symbolic communication and social benefit with materialist theories of individual strategic action and adaptation. This article examines the potential explanatory value of signaling theory for a variety of anthropological topics, focusing on three social arenas in which signaling might plausibly be important: unconditional generosity, "wasteful" subsistence behavior, and artistic or craft traditions. In each case, it outlines the ways in which the phenomena correspond with the expectations of signaling theory by showing how a given pattern of action might signal particular hidden attributes, provide benefits to both signaler and observers, and meet the conditions for honest communication. The ethnographic evidence suggests that the fundamental conditions for reliable signaling of condition-dependent qualities may exist in many social domains. It appears that signaling theory has considerable promise for generating novel and powerful insights into the ethnographic realm. © 2005 by The Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research. All rignts reserved.
Previous research has shown that the qualities of nuptial gifts among nonhumans and marriage-related property transfers in
human societies such as bridewealth and dowry covary with aspects of mate quality. This article explores this issue for another
type of marriage-related property transfer: engagement rings. We obtained data on engagement ring costs and other variables
through a mail survey sent to recently married individuals living in the American Midwest. This article focuses on survey
responses regarding rings that were purchased by men acting alone and using only their own funds who then presented the rings
while making surprise proposals of marriage (n = 127). Men marrying younger women spent more on rings, as did men who earned more money and whose fiancées earned more money.
These findings suggest that the amounts spent on engagement rings, like bridewealth and dowry payments in other societies,
reflect aspects of both male and female mate quality.
Gift-giving has often puzzled economists, especially because efficient gifts-like cash or giving exactly what a person asks for-seem crass or inappropriate. It is shown in a formal game-theoretic model that gifts serve as "signals" of a person's intentions about future investment in a relationship, and inefficient gifts can be better signals. Other explanations for the inefficiency of gift giving are advanced, and some stylized facts about gift-giving practices are described (many of which are consistent with the signaling view of gifts).
What are the characteristics of a good courtship gift? We address this question by modelling courtship as a sequential game. This is structured as follows: the male offers a gift to a female; after observing the gift, the female decides whether or not to accept it; she then chooses whether or not to mate with the male. In one version of the game, based on human courtship, the female is uncertain about whether the male intends to stay or desert after mating. In a second version, there is no paternal care but the female is uncertain about the male's quality. The two versions of the game are shown to be mathematically equivalent. We find robust equilibrium solutions in which mating is predominantly facilitated by an "extravagant" gift which is costly to the male but intrinsically worthless to the female. By being costly to the male, the gift acts as a credible signal of his intentions or quality. At the same time, its lack of intrinsic value to the female serves to deter a "gold-digger", who has no intention of mating with the male, from accepting the gift. In this way, an economically inefficient gift enables mutually suitable partners to be matched.
According to the advocates of a "Generalized Darwinism" (GD), the three core Darwinian principles of variation, selection and retention (or inheritance) can be used as a general framework for the development of theories explaining evolutionary processes in the socioeconomic domain. Even though these are originally biological terms, GD argues that they can be re-defined in such a way as to abstract from biological particulars. We argue that this approach does not only risk to misguide positive theory development, but that it may also impede the construction of a coherent evolutionary approach to "policy implications". This is shown with respect to the positive, instrumental and normative theories such an approach is supposed to be based upon.
The white wedding does more than mark a life passage. It marries two of the most sacred tenets of American culture: romantic love and excessive consumption. For anyone who has ever wondered about the meanings behind a white dress, a diamond ring, rice, and traditions such as cake cutting, bouquet tossing, and honeymooning, this book offers a look at the historical, social, and psychological strains that come together to make the lavish wedding the most important cultural ritual in contemporary consumer culture. With an emphasis on North American society, it shows how the elaborate wedding means far more than a mere triumph for the bridal industry. Through interviews, media accounts, and wide-ranging research and analysis, the book exposes the wedding's reflection—or reproduction—of fundamental aspects of popular consumer culture: its link with romantic love, its promise of magical transformation, its engendering of memories, and its legitimization of consumption as an expression of perfection. As meaningful as any prospective bride might wish, the lavish wedding emerges here as a lens that at once reveals, magnifies, and reveres some of the dearest wishes and darkest impulses at the heart of our culture.
"The fabulous gown, the multitiered cake, abundant flowers, attendants and guests in their finery. The white wedding does more than mark a life passage. It marries two of the most sacred tenets of American culture-romantic love and excessive consumption. For anyone who has ever wondered about the meanings behind a white dress, a diamond ring, rice, and traditions such as cake cutting, bouquet tossing, and honeymooning, this book offers an entertaining and enlightening look at the historical, social, and psychological strains that come together to make the lavish wedding the most important cultural ritual in contemporary consumer culture. With an emphasis on North American society, Cele C. Otnes and Elizabeth H. Pleck show how the elaborate wedding means far more than a mere triumph for the bridal industry. Through interviews, media accounts, and wide-ranging research and analysis, they expose the wedding's reflection-or reproduction-of fundamental aspects of popular consumer culture: its link with romantic love, its promise of magical transformation, its engendering of memories, and its legitimization of consumption as an expression of perfection. As meaningful as any prospective bride might wish, the lavish wedding emerges here as a lens that at once reveals, magnifies, and reveres some of the dearest wishes and darkest impulses at the heart of our culture."
We examine the trade-offs associated with using Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) interface for subject recruitment. We first describe MTurk and its promise as a vehicle for performing low-cost and easy-to-field experiments. We then assess the internal and external validity of experiments performed using MTurk, employing a framework that can be used to evaluate other subject pools. We first investigate the characteristics of samples drawn from the MTurk population. We show that respondents recruited in this manner are often more representative of the U.S. population than in-person convenience samples-the modal sample in published experimental political science-but less representative than subjects in Internet-based panels or national probability samples. Finally, we replicate important published experimental work using MTurk samples. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Political Methodology. All rights reserved.
Using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Families and Households and both wife- and husband-reported data (N = 4,574 couples), this study examined how financial well-being, financial disagreements, and perceptions of financial inequity were associated with the likelihood of divorce. When financial disagreements were in the model, financial well-being was not associated with divorce. Both wives' and husbands' financial disagreements were the strongest disagreement types to predict divorce. Mediators derived from systems theory (conflict tactics) and social exchange theory (marital satisfaction) fully mediated the association between financial disagreement and the hazard of divorce. Finally, financial disagreements fully mediated the association between perceptions of financial inequity and divorce. These findings suggest that financial disagreements are stronger predictors of divorce relative to other common marital disagreements. They further suggest that financial disagreements (e.g., "content") are associated with marital process.
Utilizing a sample of 76 white, middle-class couples from a rural midwestern county, this study examined two central propositions: (a) the negative impact of economic hardship on a spouse's marital quality (happiness/satisfaction) or marital instability (thoughts or actions related to divorce) is in part a function of its influence on the affective quality of marital interactions, and (b) this process is particularly applicable to the hostile, irritable response of men to financial difficulties. A series of analyses supported these propositions. Economic pressures had an indirect association with married couples' evaluation of the marriage by promoting hostility in marital interactions and curtailing the warm and supportive behaviors spouses express toward one another. The hypothesized process was most pronounced for husbands, whose behavior was more strongly associated with economic problems than wives' behavior. Findings from the study are consistent with previous research that identifies negative affect as a principal behavioral correlate of marital distress; however, the results also suggest that more research needs to be done on the role of warmth and supportiveness in promoting marital quality. Limitations of the research and future research directions are discussed.
Competition in political debate is not always sufficient to neutralize the effects of political rhetoric on public opinion (Chong and Druckman 2007). Yet still little is known about the factors that shape the persuasiveness of political arguments. In this paper, I consider whether cognitive biases influence the perceived strength of political arguments, making some arguments more persuasive than others. I develop a theoretical framework that draws on lessons from neurobiology and recent political psychology research on emotion, and test its implications using data collected from an experiment. The results suggest that individuals are more likely to be persuaded by political arguments that evoke cognitive biases even in the face of a counter argument. I conclude with some thoughts about the normative implications of these empirical findings and potential avenues for future research.
We use novel data to study the decision to undergo genetic testing by individuals at risk for Huntington disease (HD), a hereditary neurological disorder that reduces healthy life expectancy to about age 50. Although genetic testing is perfectly predictive and carries little financial or time cost, less than 10 percent of at-risk individuals are tested prior to the onset of symptoms. Testing rates are higher for individuals with higher ex ante risk of carrying the genetic expansion for HD. Untested individuals express optimistic beliefs about their probability of having HD and make fertility, savings, labor supply, and other decisions as if they do not have HD, even though individuals with confirmed HD behave quite differently. We show that these facts are qualitatively consistent with a model of optimal expectations (Brunnermeier and Parker, 2005) and can be reconciled quantitatively in this model with reasonable parameter values. This model nests the neoclassical framework and, we argue, provides strong evidence rejecting the assumptions of that framework. Finally, we briefly develop policy implications.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a relatively new website that contains the major elements required to conduct research: an integrated participant compensation system; a large participant pool; and a streamlined process of study design, participant recruitment, and data collection. In this article, we describe and evaluate the potential contributions of MTurk to psychology and other social sciences. Findings indicate that (a) MTurk participants are slightly more demographically diverse than are standard Internet samples and are significantly more diverse than typical American college samples; (b) participation is affected by compensation rate and task length, but participants can still be recruited rapidly and inexpensively; (c) realistic compensation rates do not affect data quality; and (d) the data obtained are at least as reliable as those obtained via traditional methods. Overall, MTurk can be used to obtain high-quality data inexpensively and rapidly.
© The Author(s) 2011.
Scientific study of marital satisfaction attracted widespread attention in the 1990s from scholars representing diverse orientations and goals. This article highlights key conceptual and empirical advances that have emerged in the past decade, with particular emphasis on (a) interpersonal processes that operate within marriage, including cognition, affect, physiology, behavioral patterning, social support, and violence; (b) the milieus within which marriages operate, including microcontexts (e.g., the presence of children, life stressors and transitions) and macrocontexts (e.g., economic factors, perceived mate availability); and (c) the conceptualization and measurement of marital satisfaction, including 2-dimensional, trajectory-based, and social-cognitive approaches. Notwithstanding the continued need for theoretical progress in understanding the nature and determinants of marital satisfaction, we conclude by calling for more large-scale longitudinal research that links marital processes with sociocultural contexts, for more disconfirmatory than confirmatory research, and for research that directly guides preventive, clinical, and policy-level interventions.
Online labor markets have great potential as platforms for conducting experiments, as they provide immediate access to a large and diverse subject pool and allow researchers to conduct randomized controlled trials. We argue that online experiments can be just as valid – both internally and externally – as laboratory and field experiments, while requiring far less money and time to design and to conduct. In this paper, we first describe the benefits of conducting experiments in online labor markets; we then use one such market to replicate three classic experiments and confirm their results. We confirm that subjects (1) reverse decisions in response to how a decision-problem is framed, (2) have pro-social preferences (value payoffs to others positively), and (3) respond to priming by altering their choices. We also conduct a labor supply field experiment in which we confirm that workers have upward sloping labor supply curves. In addition to reporting these results, we discuss the unique threats to validity in an online setting and propose methods for coping with these threats. We also discuss the external validity of results from online domains and explain why online results can have external validity equal to or even better than that of traditional methods, depending on the research question. We conclude with our views on the potential role that online experiments can play within the social sciences, and then recommend software development priorities and best practices.
This paper analyzes the causal relationships between marriage and subjective well-being in a longitudinal data set spanning 17 years. We find evidence that happier singles opt more likely for marriage and that there are large differences in the benefits from marriage between couples. Potential, as well as actual, division of labor seems to contribute to spouses’ well-being, especially for women and when there is a young family to raise. In contrast, large differences in the partners’ educational level have a negative effect on experienced life satisfaction.
This paper uses a choice-based model to estimate the effects of a broad set of economic factors, including AFDC benefit levels, husband's earnings, and a woman's wage rate, on the probability of marital dissolution. We find that the probability of divorce is lower for marriages in which the husband's labor income is higher. We also find that while AFDC income has a substantial effect on welfare receipt by a divorced woman, it has a relatively small effect on the probability that a married woman will become divorced. Finally, we find no support for the hypothesis that rising wages for women have increased marital instability.
This paper focuses on the causes of marital instability. Section I develops a theoretical analysis of marital dissolution, incorporating uncertainty about outcomes of marital decisions into a framework of utility maximization and the marriage market. Section II explores implications of the theoretical analysis with cross-sectional data, primarily the 1967 Survey of Economic Opportunity and the Terman sample. The relevance of both the theoretical and empirical analyses in explaining the recent acceleration in divorce rates is also discussed.
Engagement is a costly social institution for which virtually no economic analysis exists. We explore the information gathering function of engagement in a game with a proposer who offers a long or short engagement, and a respondent, who may reject the proposal at various stages. Whether the proposer is a suitable match is uncertain, but a long engagement yields information with which the respondent can update prior probabilities. We consider pooling, separating and mixed strategy equilibria and relate our findings to the evolving institution of engagement and institutional circumstances that will improve its efficiency in generating successful matches. Copyright Springer-Verlag 2004
What do social survey data tell us about the determinants of happiness? First, that the psychologists' setpoint model is questionable. Life events in the nonpecuniary domain, such as marriage, divorce, and serious disability, have a lasting effect on happiness, and do not simply deflect the average person temporarily above or below a setpoint given by genetics and personality. Second, mainstream economists' inference that in the pecuniary domain "more is better," based on revealed preference theory, is problematic. An increase in income, and thus in the goods at one's disposal, does not bring with it a lasting increase in happiness because of the negative effect on utility of hedonic adaptation and social comparison. A better theory of happiness builds on the evidence that adaptation and social comparison affect utility less in the nonpecuniary than pecuniary domains. Because individuals fail to anticipate the extent to which adaptation and social comparison undermine expected utility in the pecuniary domain, they allocate an excessive amount of time to pecuniary goals, and shortchange nonpecuniary ends such as family life and health, reducing their happiness. There is need to devise policies that will yield better-informed individual preferences, and thereby increase individual and societal well-being.
We estimate the causal effect of mandatory participation in the military service on the involvement in criminal activities. We exploit the random assignment of young men to military service in Argentina through a draft lottery to identify this causal effect. Using a unique set of administrative data that includes draft eligibility, participation in the military service, and criminal records, we find that participation in the military service increases the likelihood of developing a criminal record in adulthood. The effects are not only significant for the cohorts that performed military service during war times, but also for those that provided service at peace times. We also find that military service has detrimental effects on future performance in the labor market.
Evidence shows that real-effort investments can affect bilateral bargaining outcomes. This paper investigates whether similar investments can inhibit equilibrium convergence of experimental markets. In one treatment, sellers’ relative effort affects the allocation of production costs, but a random productivity shock ensures that the allocation is not necessarily equitable. In another treatment, sellers’ effort increases the buyers’ valuation of a good. We find that effort investments have a short-lived impact on trading behavior when sellers’ effort benefits buyers, but no effect when effort determines cost allocation. Efficiency rates are high and do not differ across treatments.
Brides, Inc.: American Weddings and the Business of Tradition
- V. Howard
- Otnes
How Diamonds Became Forever
- J C Sullivan
How Elastic Are Preferences for Redistribution? Evidence from Randomized Survey Experiments
- I M I Kuziemko
- E Norton
- Saez
- Stantcheva
Gender Sexual Orientation and Backlash in the Labor Market.” Working Paper Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy
- M Gorsuch
Before ‘I Do’: What Do Premarital Experiences Have to Do with Marital Quality Among Today's Young Adults?” The National Marriage Project Working Paper
- G K Rhoades
- . M Stanley