This blog post calmly examines how emotional deprivation is compensated through spending and shopping, exploring the psychological structure where low self-esteem leads to consumption and the process by which it expands into compulsive spending. Emotions that fuel consumption Various emotions drive excessive spending. Anxiety, feelings of isolation, interpersonal tension, credit card use...
Is the price determined at auction objective value, or an illusion created by momentary passion? This blog post examines the winner’s curse and the pitfalls of price determination. It is said that John Lennon’s guitar was sold at auction for over 10,000 times its purchase price. This guitar is not merely an instrument; it is an important legacy that graced a page in music...
Can the Leading Economic Index alone predict the future economy? We break down the concept and application of this indicator in simple terms. If you’re curious about how to read economic trends, check it out! Reading the Future Economy with the Leading Economic Index You’ve likely often encountered expressions like, “The Leading Economic Index has risen, so the economy is...
This blog post focuses on cyclical unemployment among the various types of unemployment, examining its causes and the role of government. Economics defines unemployment as the state where individuals willing and able to work lack jobs. It posits that rising unemployment causes economic problems, such as a decrease in the quantity of goods and services a society can produce. When the...
This blog post examines how biotechnology and genetic modification are altering human capabilities and identity, questioning whether enhanced humans can still be considered ‘Homo sapiens’. Entering the 21st century, our lives have undergone truly profound changes. Advances in medical technology have already ushered us into the era of 100-year lifespans. Through genetic mapping—the process...
In this blog post, we explore how the economic theory of perfect competition operates in virtual worlds, using an in-game auction house as an intriguing case study. I happened to take an introductory economics course during my college years. It was an opportunity to learn about the broad concepts of economics and various theories. Although economics initially felt somewhat difficult and...
This blog post examines the legal and social issues surrounding non-compete agreements, balancing the ongoing conflict between workers’ freedom and corporate interests, and summarizes the core of the current debate. A non-compete agreement is a contract clause that restricts one party from engaging in business activities that compete with the other party. The most typical example is...
This blog post examines the structure by which money is created as debt and the logic behind bank lending. It calmly explores why financial crises recur and how debt underpins capitalism. No Debt, No Money Money is ‘debt’. For banks to create money, they must go through the process of ‘lending’. In other words, money takes the form of ‘debt’ and is distributed to many people. This means...
This blog post examines how consumption stimulates the emotion of anxiety, and how that anxiety, combined with marketing, leads to overspending and addictive consumption through case studies. We’ll explore the underlying psychological mechanisms together. Overconsumption begins with buying unnecessary things Now, let’s think about this a little more calmly. What kind of...
This blog post revisits the structure of wealth and anxiety created by capitalism, examining whether a capitalism where the people are the masters—beyond the market and government—is possible, and exploring its conditions from the perspectives of welfare and ethics. Warm Capitalism We have long observed capitalism’s many faces. We’ve seen how capitalism, born with Adam Smith...