Title: Spousonomics. Or how to maximize returns on the biggest investment of your life.

Authors: Paula Szuchman & Jenny Anderson

www.rbooks.co.uk

pp. 332.   Circa: 2011

FIND OUT MORE: http://www.spousonomics.com/

Sick of the fights? Sick of things NEVER changing? Sick of feeling unheard and misunderstood in your relationship?

Spousonomics is a practical and funny book about the economics of love. It looks at the laws of supply and demand and applies economic thought (like ideas on the status quo)  in a fun way to kick-start your relationship and sex life. It takes Game Theory and helps you redefine out-dated ideas of winning in negotiations and relationship conflicts. The book is well researched with its own inbuilt survey data collated to highlight its primary thesis. For example, 53% of people keep arguing even after they start repeating themselves! 34% keep fighting even after they can’t remember what they’re fighting about and 34% keep fighting even after they know they’re wrong!

Irrational? Well. Yes.

This book looks at the complications of  the age-old problem of ‘I WANT’ ‘YOU WANT’ in relationships. It gives a fresh twist to bettering your relational bonds and shows you how to maximize the good-stuff. It’s not written by psychologists but by Paula Szuchman who is the Page One Editor of the Wall Street Journal and Jenny Anderson who is a New York Times reporter. They are both married and both have struggled with the usual tyrannies: deprivations of energy, libido, struggling with children and money trickiness, absences of empathy —

Let’s take a look at the text … “Sometimes our sense that we’re losing stems simply from the way a choice is framed…Frame a choice differently and you might change your mind about which path to take. You might also feel open to compromise. That’s because our willingness to compromise has a lot to do with whether we think we’re losing or whether we see the potential for a gain.” (pp. 53-55).

Sounds rational? YES. Spousonomics addresses the irrationality that can plague our decision making. It uses funny vignettes, clever graphs and facts and figures, and provides solutions to get you breathing life into any dwindling flame. The perspective taken in this book is based on the premise There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.

Chapters cover topics such as Divisions of Labour, Loss aversion,  Supply and Demand, Moral Hazards in relationships, Incentives for getting your partner to do what you want, Trade-offs, and many other powerful strategies for change such as using signals, gifting to your partner and letting go to enhance your enjoyment and connection.

I like.

Highly recommended. * * * * *