Luxury Fever: Money and Happiness in an Era of ExcessA new luxury fever has America in its grip--the past two decades have witnessed a spectacular and uninterrupted rise in luxury consumption. Ordinary, functional goods are no longer acceptable. Our cars have gotten larger, heavier, and far more expensive. As the super rich set the pace, everyone else spends furiously in a competitive echo of wastefulness. The costs are enormous: we spend more time at work, leaving less time for family and friends, less time for exercise. Most of us have been forced to save less and spend and borrow much more. Frank offers the first comprehensive and accessible summary of scientific evidence that our spending choices are not making us as happy and as healthy as they could. The good news is that we can do something about it. Luxury Fever boldly offers a way to curb the excess and restore the true value of money. |
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LUXURY FEVER: Why Money Fails to Satisfy in an Era of Excess
User Review - KirkusA scientific attack on luxury that, though a little preachy, is not just an ascetic diatribe. Despite the truism that you can't buy happiness, most people believe more money will make them happy. The ... Read full review
Contents
Money Well Spent? | 1 |
The Luxury Spending Boom | 14 |
Why Now? | 33 |
The Price of Luxury | 45 |
Does Money Buy Happiness? | 64 |
Gains That Endure | 75 |
Our Forgotten Future | 94 |
Excellent Relatively Speaking | 107 |
SelfHelp? | 173 |
Other Failed Remedies | 194 |
Luxury Without Apology | 207 |
Equity Versus Efficiency The Great TradeOff? | 227 |
We Cant Afford It? | 251 |
Cash on the Table | 266 |
Endnotes | 281 |
| 295 | |
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Common terms and phrases
across-the-board adapt American amount average behavior better cars changes chapter choice competition concerns about relative conspicuous consumption consumers consumption patterns cost costly countries decades decisions drug earn economic growth economists effect environmental evidence example experience fact families Ferrari 456 growing happy higher taxes human Ibid important incentives inconspicuous increase individual inequality investment larger less levels living loss aversion luxury tax males million national income norms Patek Philippe per-capita per-capita income percent pollution Porsche Porsche 911 Turbo Porsche Boxster premium problem programs progressive consumption tax progressive tax reason recent reduce relative income relative position result satisfaction savings rate serotonin simply smaller houses social society someone spending patterns spent standard subjective well-being sumption sumptuary laws tax rates things tion top earners trickle-down trickle-down economics typically United vacation voluntary simplicity wealth whereas workers
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Luxury Fever: Money and Happiness in an Era of Excess Princeton paperbacks |
| Author | Robert H. Frank |
| Edition | reprint, revised |
| Publisher | Princeton University Press, 2000 |
| ISBN | 0691070113, 9780691070117 |
| Length | 326 pages |
| Subjects | › › Business & Economics / Economics / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |