Social Econ Blog

In the modern love match system, individuals essentially try and get the best deal that they can in their relationships. Essentially, they wake up every day and ask themselves is the expected benefit of remaining in this relationship (how happy has this person made me in the past and how do I expect things to get better or worse in the future) higher than the expected cost of leaving this relationship and re-entering the market (e.g., how much of a hassle would it be to end the current relationship, who would you likely match with if you were to re-enter the market, how hard would it be to find them)?

Before class on Thursday please think about (and, if you are so inclined, post in comments) what are the key determinants of benefits and costs that people consider when making this choice.

Update -- One way to potentially help focus your thinking is to ask yourself why someone would want to be in a relationship versus being single? This should help point you toward the basic costs and benefits of being in a relationship.