INSEAD Library

Includes bibliographical references and index

Digitized

The Joyless Economy The Psychology of Human Satisfaction Contents Chapter One Introduction: Plutocracy and Mob Rule 3 PART I THE PSYCHOLOGY AND ECONOMICS OF MOTIVATION Chapter Two Between Strain and Boredom 15 Arousal 16 Personality 25 Arousal Reduction 28 Chapter Three The Pursuit of Novelty 31 Physical Stimulation 31 Mental Stimulation 32 Some of the Evidence 36 Threat 40 Measurement 42 Attention 44 Redundancy 46 Signs and Supersigns 52 Uncertainty 56 Chapter Four Comfort Versus Pleasure 59 The Seduction of Pleasure 63 The Seduction of Comfort 70 xvi Free Choice Between Comfort and Pleasure 75 Comfort and Stimulation 78 Contents Chapter Five Enter Economics 80 Self-Sufficiency 81 Mutual Stimulation 82 Market Goods and Services 84 External Benefits and External Nuisances 85 Non-Market Goods and Services 86 Work as Self-Stimulation 89 The Importance of the Economic Product 102 Chapter Six Necessities and Comforts 106 Necessities and Luxuries 107 Defensive and Creative Products 108 Some of the Comforts 112 The Comfort of Belonging 114 The Comfort of Being Useful 120 The Comfort of Sticking to Our Habits 124 What it Means to Become Spoiled 131 Chapter Seven Income and Happiness 133 "Rankhappiness" 134 Whatever Made Us Believe Income Yields Happiness? 140 PART II THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE Chapter Eight Is Our Life Too Good? 149 The Economy of Effort 154 The Economy of Time 161 The Purchase of Health 165 The Economy of Care and Bother 170 Chapter Nine Is Our Life Too Dull? 182 Food 182 Vacations 190 Company 195 A Conflict 197 Contents xvii Chapter Ten Our Puritan Ghost 204 The Moral Superiority of Production and Money-Making 206 The Neglect of Housekeeping 212 Puritan Intolerance 215 Chapter Eleven Our Disdain for Culture 224 The Meaning of Culture 226 The Puritan Attitude Toward Culture 228 Production Skills Versus Consumption Skills 229 The Rational Bias Against Culture 230 Skilled Versus Unskilled Stimulus Enjoyment 232 The Art of Conversation 236 What Do You Know? 239 Chapter Twelve What's Wrong with Mass Production? 248 The Monotony of Products 249 The Banalization of Art 258 Chapter Thirteen What's Wrong with Specialization? 264 The Decline of the Generalist 269 Producers' Choice 272 Artists' Choice 275 Decorating 277 Tourism 280 Chapter Fourteen The End of Sexism and Revival of the Generalist? 283 Do It Yourself 284 Women's Liberation 286 Where Do We Stand? 288 Appendix: Culture Is a Good Thing 291 Notes 309 Index 328