Are you happy in your marriage—except for those weekly spats over who empties the dishwasher more often? Not a single complaint—unle...
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reviews
Oct 19, 2011
Ben
rated it: 
Not great, not bad. The authors come across as very sure of themselves, as if they've summarized what could be a very complicated issue in a very succinct way. Unfortunately, resolving interpersonal conflict is generally not as straightforward.
That said- this book does have some interesting parts to it and does make a rather interesting comparison between marriage and economics. My wife pulled it off the shelf at the library and brought it home.
I didn't particularl More...
That said- this book does have some interesting parts to it and does make a rather interesting comparison between marriage and economics. My wife pulled it off the shelf at the library and brought it home.
I didn't particularl More...
Jun 12, 2011
Tia
rated it:
The premise of this book is that a marriage is essentially an economic endeavor--a small business, if you will--and as such all those niggling domestic disputes can be ironed out by applying economic principles and solutions to the question of who will scrub the toilet. The section on comparative advantage provides sensible ways to divvy up household duties while saving everyone time. But most of the chapters use prettied up, technical words to give what is essentially old-fashioned advice your
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Mar 30, 2011
Megan
rated it: 
I really liked this book. Mixing economics with mariage doesn't seem right but as I read it, it just seemed so logical. I've never been able to wrap my mind around any economic concept other than the Lafer curve and supply & demand. But this book made economic principles seem so intuitive.
It's such a pragmatic approach to marital issues. Who is going to do the dishes? Why won't my husband put his dirty clothes in the hamper and how do I get him to do it? This doesn't give you m More...
It's such a pragmatic approach to marital issues. Who is going to do the dishes? Why won't my husband put his dirty clothes in the hamper and how do I get him to do it? This doesn't give you m More...
Mar 28, 2011
Andrew
rated it:
An interesting book that uses economic theory to explain marital issues and suggest strategies for dealing with conflict between partners. It is NOT at all like “Freakonomics”, the book by Leavitt and Dubner, which deals with unanticipated results of policies. It is much more like a traditional marriage counseling book, with science behind it.
It probably wouldn’t have saved any of the marriages that we’ve seen self-destruct around us over the decades, but then the authors contend t More...
It probably wouldn’t have saved any of the marriages that we’ve seen self-destruct around us over the decades, but then the authors contend t More...
Mar 13, 2011
Girls Gone Reading
rated it:
True, Spousonomics is about economics, and it is about improving the problems in your marriage. Two topics that are usually so serious that they aren’t funny. But, Spousonomics is funny, and it helped me ask some questions I probably should have asked a decade ago.
Spousonomics uses economic principles to deal with typical marriage problems, and truthfully I was expecting something more like Freakonomics for marriages. Instead, Spousonomics uses economic ideas to tackle your daily issue More...
Spousonomics uses economic principles to deal with typical marriage problems, and truthfully I was expecting something more like Freakonomics for marriages. Instead, Spousonomics uses economic ideas to tackle your daily issue More...
Feb 17, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
Saw this on a friend's to-read shelf, then it jumped out at me at my next library visit. I couldn't resist picking it up, I love the books applying economics to real life. Mostly, I liked this one.
The economics is pretty basic. No real novel stuff here. Relies on quite a bit of game theory, and even some not-so-reliable economics. Why on earth anyone would want to put Keynes in a book on marriage is beyond me, and if I were writing a book on economics he'd just be in the endnotes. :- More...
The economics is pretty basic. No real novel stuff here. Relies on quite a bit of game theory, and even some not-so-reliable economics. Why on earth anyone would want to put Keynes in a book on marriage is beyond me, and if I were writing a book on economics he'd just be in the endnotes. :- More...
Mar 29, 2011
Carin
rated it:
The brilliant thing about this book is that it is hilarious. From the Exhaustive, Ground-Breaking, and Very Expensive Marriage Survey to lines like this: "Molly punished Tim, an incentive we don't recommend lightly but one we do recommend sometimes, like when your spouse is being an annoying dipshit," this book uses humor to make economics accessible and relatable. Each chapter tackles an economic theory such as incentives, trade-offs, or moral hazard, using three concrete examples fro
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Oct 01, 2011
Ann
rated it: 
I'm not finished yet, but I wanted to put down my thoughts while my baby is sleeping(!) and I have the time. So far the book is interesting enough for me to keep reading it, but also a fairly large disappointment. The tone is a little too...smug?...shallow?...glib? Something annoying anyway. I like popular science books and appreciate that they are qualitatively different from more hardcore science works, but at the same time, I sometimes felt like the anecdotal case studies were only a step or
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Aug 24, 2011
Andrew
rated it: 
Coming from a Wall Street Journal and a New York Times reporter, I suppose I should have anticipated the book's smug, cloying tone.
Alas, I didn't. This is what economists call "opportunity cost" - the time I spent reading this pablum could have been spent reading something intellectually challenging, like one of "Chicken Soup for the ...Soul" books.
In truth, some of the content is interesting, and the authors do explain many economic concepts and how More...
Alas, I didn't. This is what economists call "opportunity cost" - the time I spent reading this pablum could have been spent reading something intellectually challenging, like one of "Chicken Soup for the ...Soul" books.
In truth, some of the content is interesting, and the authors do explain many economic concepts and how More...
Feb 13, 2011
Jamie
rated it:
My opinion: Usually I don't read books on marriage help, thinking I've got everything all figured out. I admit now I was wrong; thanks to this book, I have learned a lot of tips and tricks to make my marriage better. The authors use common terms and concepts normally used in economics and apply it to marriage. Better yet, they throw in case studies of couples that used these approaches with great results. It helped to cement the fact that although some of these ideas seem small, they can have a
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Apr 17, 2011
Hippopottoman
rated it: 
Very entertaining and possibly useful discussion of how certain economic principles can be applied to help maintain, improve, or maybe even save a marriage.
Mostly covers how couples can deal with "small, ordinary problems" as some other reviewers have noted - how to divide up household chores, schedule sex, and manage competing schedules. So, if you're looking for help with a cheating spouse, a looming foreclosure, or the inability to conceive or something, go elsewhere.
Sti More...
Mostly covers how couples can deal with "small, ordinary problems" as some other reviewers have noted - how to divide up household chores, schedule sex, and manage competing schedules. So, if you're looking for help with a cheating spouse, a looming foreclosure, or the inability to conceive or something, go elsewhere.
Sti More...
Feb 20, 2011
Kristy
rated it:
I won this through the firstreads program, and I'm glad I did--I really enjoyed reading this book. Now, I haven't studied economics since high school, so I can't vouch for how accurate it is, but it's fun and, I think, helpful. They take fairly common relationship problems and strategies and reframe them in economics terms; this might be really useful to someone for whom traditional ways of talking about "conflict resolution" might be loaded or emotionally charged. Also, sometimes I pi
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Apr 02, 2011
Meaghan
rated it:
This is the perfect book for the married person who is also interested in economics and the psychology behind it. The authors make understanding the economics behind their suggestions easy and painless. Plus, the book is pretty darn funny. Any book that includes sentences like "Molly punished Tim, an incentive we don't recommend lightly but one we do recommend sometimes, like when your spouse is being an annoying dipshit." and "Governments use [cost-benefit analysis] to raise o
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May 27, 2011
Jim
rated it:
Clever, witty and fun. However in terms of the content, it comes across as a really heavy sales pitch as opposed to legitimately good advice. There were a few inaccuracies, like when they try to frame a conflict a marital couple was having as a prisoners dilema problem which it wasn't.
The worst feature o the book in my mind was the ridiculous examples thrown at the reader. Maybe taken one at a time they look ok, but taken together they paint a picture where every American is one of 5 More...
The worst feature o the book in my mind was the ridiculous examples thrown at the reader. Maybe taken one at a time they look ok, but taken together they paint a picture where every American is one of 5 More...
Jun 22, 2011
Mike
rated it:
Each chapter addresses a particular economics concept, such as division of labor, comparative advantage, loss aversion, moral hazard, and information asymmetry. The authors begin by explaining the economic concept and then illustrate through case studies from friends or their own lives.
The explanations were decent. I didn't like most of the case studies. They were often boring, had characters with whom I could not relate, or were distastefully and surprisingly crude.
I heard an intervie More...
The explanations were decent. I didn't like most of the case studies. They were often boring, had characters with whom I could not relate, or were distastefully and surprisingly crude.
I heard an intervie More...
Mar 19, 2011
I won this book from First Reads Giveaway. Waiting to read it when I receive it. Thanks.
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Oct 02, 2011
Colin
rated it:
A novel exploration of relationships and economics. While not a deep scholarly paper, it was an amusing read. If I were to teach an economics 101 class I would use this book because it introduces economic theories in ways that are very accessible using relationships as the example.
The ideas presented are not going to make or break your relationship. It will, however, help you understand how you act better by framing the context in terms of economic theories such as sunk cost, game t More...
The ideas presented are not going to make or break your relationship. It will, however, help you understand how you act better by framing the context in terms of economic theories such as sunk cost, game t More...
May 05, 2011
Matt
rated it:
I have been reading a ton of behavioral economics lately and find myself ofte soon what these women did - applying the principles to all these other areas of my life. So, I loved the idea and, in general liked the execution- it was laid out well and organized clearly by laying out a principal from Econ, discussing how it plays out in a relationship through actual vignettes and offering an Econ solution... My only sticking point was some of their examples and/or though experiments didn't always
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Feb 13, 2011
Deborah
rated it:
This sounds interesting. I won this through the First Reads program. I received this today. It is an ARC.
OK, it's not an ARC, it's an advance uncorrected proof. So it says I can't quote it without checking against the finished book.
I really like this, it makes sense to me. It offers real solutions to day-to-day issues. I think this book could be helpful to most marriages, no marriage is perfect, they all take work. None of the ideas are complicated and they use examples of More...
OK, it's not an ARC, it's an advance uncorrected proof. So it says I can't quote it without checking against the finished book.
I really like this, it makes sense to me. It offers real solutions to day-to-day issues. I think this book could be helpful to most marriages, no marriage is perfect, they all take work. None of the ideas are complicated and they use examples of More...
Jan 04, 2012
Kerry
rated it:
Spousonomics is the ultimate marriage book for nerds: one part econ, one part marriage advice. Wait, don't stop there, please. Both of those words make the book sounds boring and stuffy. Econ? Blah. Marriage advice? Gag me.
But no. It's not like that. Spousonomics is witty and fun, and even though some of the econ-to-real-life-in-your-marriage examples can be a stretch, the principles (both the econ ones and the marriage ones) are absolutely understandable. At times, in fact, the book c More...
But no. It's not like that. Spousonomics is witty and fun, and even though some of the econ-to-real-life-in-your-marriage examples can be a stretch, the principles (both the econ ones and the marriage ones) are absolutely understandable. At times, in fact, the book c More...
Sep 12, 2011
Katherine
rated it:
This could have been a really interesting, useful, and informative book in the hands of someone like Jonah Lehrer, but sadly it was written with a really annoyingly cutesy wink wink tone, like lots of "oh look how clever we are for learning are this gosh darn difficult economics terms!!" Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I felt like somewhere along the way, either the writers or their editors or whatnot thought, "economics = math and women are scared of math, yet we expect t
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Aug 23, 2011
Rubina
rated it:
This is not a book about economics. It's an advice book that uses economics concepts as a hook for each of its chapters. For example, moral hazard explains why people often "let themselves go" once they're married. Comparative advantage teaches you why splitting chores 50/50 isn't actually the best solution. The chapter on loss aversion addresses why you should wait 24 hours before starting an argument. Intertemporal choice is about how good intentions don't necessarily lead to the cor
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Feb 20, 2011
Matt
rated it:
Excellent relationship advice within the framework of economics. There are some really good general econ principles that are explained well and easy to understand. And it gets you thinking about your relationship in a way that you might not have before.
There's also just a joy you get reading about the details of how other couples live. If you have that kind of voyeuristic desire, that is another facet of this book that you will enjoy.
I went into this as a fan of the Freakonom More...
There's also just a joy you get reading about the details of how other couples live. If you have that kind of voyeuristic desire, that is another facet of this book that you will enjoy.
I went into this as a fan of the Freakonom More...
Aug 31, 2011
Makefetch
rated it:
This book was interesting enough and provided several good pointers on how to better manage the give and take in any relationship. It includes lots of case studies which were helpful initially but got very repetitive in the end. Also, the couples presented in the case studies weren't very diverse as they all seemed to come from the exact same Ivy League/white color background. I really had to struggle to finish the book. Editing this down by half would have got the major points across without bo
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Feb 04, 2012
miriam
rated it:
Interesting read but their marriage survey seemed to only be about one kind of couple and that bothered me. Especially since they spent a lot of time talking about how it wasn't about one kind of couple. And all of the women were working mothers who loathed stay at home mothers, including the others.
My advice to authors: next time at least TRY to sound impartial. It'll get you a lot further.
Most of their marriage advice was sound, accurate and sensible.
My advice to authors: next time at least TRY to sound impartial. It'll get you a lot further.
Most of their marriage advice was sound, accurate and sensible.
Sep 22, 2011
Jaime
rated it:
This book was a fun read, and I learned a few things. I've asked my boyfriend to listen to the audiobook version. It's written in the style of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything but this time focuses on marriage, love and relationships.
Jun 05, 2011
Alexis
rated it:
I just wanted to read this book to see if mychal and i unconsciously used economics to organize our own lives, and, surprise, we do (at least according to the standards of this book). It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's entertaining if you like vignettes about other people's relationship problems. You should read it if you live with another person, are having fights about chores and aren't using comparative advantage to divide them.
Dec 09, 2011
David
rated it:
Eh . . . . A unique idea that falls a bit flat and is done better elsewhere. Perhaps I've been spoiled by reading Tyler Cowen's blog and books, and all those other efforts to popularize economics, but I feel that this book had nothing interesting to add to my relationship. I read the first three chapters and put the book away; perhaps the later ideas were more interesting, but life is too short to waste time like that.
Feb 09, 2011
Scott
rated it:
This is easily one of the more enjoyable marriage books I have read. The authors take a lighthearted but indepth look at marital relationships through the eyes of economics. Through such concepts as division of labor, game theory, and cost-benefit analysis they show how marriages can be transformed through a more intellectual approach. I loved the more dispassionate and humorous tone that they used. I laughed repeatedly throughout.
Jul 12, 2011
Mary
rated it:
A fun and thought provoking read. Marriage is an economic relationship and this book explains many of the basics of economics in a clear and enjoyable way. As in many self-help books, it's all simpler than real life, but there is some food for thought here and possibly for action. This is a new library book (14 days, no renewal) so I have to take it back, but I might take it out again sometime.
