The Economics of Relationships

Amidst all the negative financial gloom around the entire world, I reckon it's apt to talk about something refreshing, aside from all the shares jaw-dropping headlines in the papers almost everyday.

So, I'm going to talk about the economics of relationships.

Economics, basically refers to the supply and demand of goods in the market, and the positive relationship between demand and supply, i.e. the higher the demand, the higher the supply. (I apologize for the substandard definition if it irks any of you economists out there.)


So, how does economics play its part in the matter that has created so many blockbuster movies and songs ever since the start of civilization? Because many have commented that my posts are too long and boring, I shall try to limit my entry to a minimum by only focusing on one side of the equation.

When it comes to the economics of relationships, demand equates to how guys are sought after by ladies, while supply refers to how many of such guys that are available in the market.

Of course, like any other good in the market, guys come in varying sizes and quality. They range from tall to short, obese to anorexic, rags to riches, dashing to geeky, chubby to sunken (yes I just had to include this), outgoing to reserved, talkative to quiet, blah blah blah... And because of the difference that comes with each and every guy, that is what constitutes the demand for each genre.

Actually, I had wanted to title this post as "All men are bad", and also in relation to my previous blog entry. Lately, I've had many conversations with people around me and they all seem to have a common denominator in them, and which brings me to the first genre.

Genre 1 - Bad Men (High demand, Subjective supply)

Sometimes, you can't explain logic when it comes to love. If not, how else can you explain that ladies are attracted to the bad men? I met up with my friend today and he must be one of the nicest guys around. But, as nice as he is, the karma does not translate to success in his relationship. I felt so compelled to tell him that infamous but cliched phrase,

男人不坏，女人不爱 (When the men aren't bad, the women ain't gonna like)

And I heard another heart-wrenching story from my mum just now in the evening about a woman who is not having the happiest of marriages. Her husband is probably the biggest jerk around that you can find. He contributes a big fat zero to the household income, and spends his whole time playing golf. He does not even give a single cent to his parents, and the wife does all that. Yet, she persists on and I suspect she still loves her husband very much too.

Love is blind, and the definition doesn't get better with that.

So my point is, times have changed. Bad men are the ones in demand now. In strict economic terms, it's almost like a monopoly, and I forsee it becoming monopolistic in time to come.

Good men are passe, and my advice to you good guys out there who would like to get attached: Be bad, or be left on the shelves.


Disclaimer: Despite the author's disappointing realization that the degree of nice-ness and luck in love could possibly be related inversely, this post does not waver the author's belief of being Mr Nice at all.