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His first four chapters present what remains one of the most artful and accessible summaries of what psychologists know about human motivation. Economists will learn that the concept of utility in economic models corresponds to the psychologist's notion of comfort; and they will see substantial evidence against the idea that people are comfort maximizers.
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The middle of the twentieth century may well turn out to have been the high point of our national existence. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The middle of the twentieth century may well turn out to have been the high point of our national existence. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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4.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The puritan economy, 2 Jan 2005
By Bernie Koenig - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Joyless Economy: The Psychology of Human Satisfaction (Paperback)
This book is must for all people who want to challenge the current free market dogma. Scitovsky shows that economic practices are aspects of one's culture: people in different countries spend their money very differently. These spending patterns are not based on the amount of income but on what is important to them. Thus Europeans with less income than Americans spend more of their income on fresh fruit and other foods, as well as on entertainent. Americans may buy bigger, but Europeans buy better. An Americam will boast about how much something cost, while a European will boast about how much they saved.By showing that economics is based on culture, the whole concept of economics as a value free science gets undermined.
And, the book is readable for the non professional.
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excessive Stimulation or Excessive Comfort?, 5 Aug 1999
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Joyless Economy: The Psychology of Human Satisfaction (Hardcover)
This bifurcated question lies at the core of this excellent classic. The assumption that all choice is rational, that rationality choses freedom apriori, and freedom is its own intrinsic good has been the foundation of contemporary economics and liberal political theory for more than a century? This book challenges this and other assumptions, demonstrating that the true human "need" is not for freedom in itself, but instrumentally, so that our choices to bring about the right mixture of stimulation in our lives is balanced by an appropriate dose of comfort. Too much stimulation produces pain, too much comfort produces boredom, the excess of which lies outside the "mean."This book goes beyond challenging our most basic presumptions; it argues coherently, cohesively, and cogently that the summa bonum of human life is not merely choice, but the right choices that balance our conflicting desires for something "new" with our desire for "stability." Most theories gravitate toward one extreme or the other; Scitovsky demonstrates the Aristotlean "mean."
Sadly, this book is only available in hardback at and is very pricey. Not that this book isn't worth the high cost Oxford Press demands, rather that it will unfortunately limit widespread access to this treasure. For those wanting a preview of this book's contents, see "Critical Review" Vol 10, No.4.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic, provocative ideas, 26 Sep 1998
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Joyless Economy: The Psychology of Human Satisfaction (Hardcover)
"The Joyless Economy" is a classic attempt to assess the postulates of neoclassical economics (the sort of economics taught in schools and universities!) in terms of evidence about human behaviour from Behavioural Psychology.Definitely worth a read, particularly if you have reservations about the neoclassical orthodoxy!
From a technical economic viewpoint, he fails to make his case forcefully enough to convince orthodox economists on their own turf, but that is to take nothing away from the strength and worth of the ideas.
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