They teach you a lot of things when you study economics: about marginal cost, incentives, dynamic optimization, etc.
But up until now, the real reason for why people study economics had been a closely held secret known only to economists — kept carefully hidden away from the hoi polloi.
Well, it turns out Joey Cheek, of all people, is the one who blew the secret. You may remember Joey Cheek as a gold medal speed skater from the Winter Olympics. It turns out he is also quite smart. He was admitted to Yale, Princeton, and Stanford. (Harvard, however, turned him down.)
Parade magazine quotes Cheek as saying that he plans to study economics. And then he goes on to blow the secret we economists have so carefully guarded for all these years. He plans to study economics because “that’s what gets the chicks.”
(My wife Jeannette adds that I am living proof.)
24 Comments
When I declared an economics major, I admittedly thought some of my male economics professors were really quite attractive and even noticed my female professors had some good looking husbands.
— melissaThat’s because economists do it with models!
— dachisbThen why do women study econ?
— shiningLOL! I’ve taken a lot of econ classes, and as I looked around the room, it looked only marginally better than the computer science classes! ;-)
Chris
— Speedmasterhttp://amateureconblog.blogspot.com/
On the other hand…
— MonkeydartsHe doesn’t say the othere econ students are hot…. he says they know how to (or have what it takes to)get the chicks. Which is a lot more interesting, no?
— Dave MeleneyI think he’s confusing economics and finance. Just a thought.
— StCheryl‘Tis true.
— kkwanI went to Yale.
Majored in Economics.
Met my wife in Macro.
I got my BA, she got a MRS.
I can testify that it doesn’t work the other way around. I’m a girl studying Financial Maths and Economics and when I tell men this they PHYSICALLY
— ciara86I can testify that it doesn’t work the other way around. I’m a girl studying Financial Maths and Economics and when I tell men this they PHYSICALLY step away from me….
— ciara86when I tell men this they PHYSICALLY step away from me….
That’s funny, I’ve been looking for an econ major my whole life.
You’re talking to the wrong men, I think :-)
— tim in tampaI put this down to an apparent predeliction amongst British economists for long hair in extravagant styles, evidenced by the economics correspondents for all major UK networks.
— NewfredI never thought this concept to be the case in my economics class…
Of course, what do I know? I’m just an engineer.
— GrantThat’s probably true but until I start talking to the right men I’m going to keep on pretending I study nursing :)
— ciara86So, who are the top 10 sexiest economists?
Photo link must accompany nomination.
Any sex or sexual orientation is eligible.
As Levitt is in Chicago the “vote early, vote often” rule can be used.
— zbicyclistDear God, I hope no one includes Greenspan.
— kkwanNote that in “A Beautiful Mind,” John Nash uses game theory to conclude that he can get the most beautiful woman in the room.
— jcl“That’s because economists do it with models!”
dachisb–You just made my day.
— synapticmisfiresciara86, i kind of know how you feel. I’m a (male) actuarial studies student, and almost half the girls i meet always take a physical step back every time i tell them i do actuarial studies. Suddenly they don’t seem as interested before…
Does this happen to economics students as well?
— Harimauwoe is you.
— Leviathantry getting a masters in accounting.
It works like magic when you’re out on saturday night.
I guess I have to back to school.
Again.
Note that in “A Beautiful Mind,” John Nash uses game theory to conclude that he can get the most beautiful woman in the room.
Oh, you guys have no idea how powerful the concepts of product differentiation, market signals, logic trains and Nash Equilibria are when it comes to strategies of playing “the game”.
I should blog about it when my “field research” is finished.
Heheh.
Saying you “study economics” doesn’t get the girls. Using the concepts you learn as an economist in addition to telling them you “enchance and measure human happiness”, however, does.
— Aaron_BTo those saying that the people in their economics class are unattractive, I thought what Cheek (and dear Dr. Levitt) is saying is that being an economics students gets you chicks (who don’t have to be economics students themselves). Indeed, it might even be subtly implied that economics students are physically unattractive, but their study of supply and demand lends them an aura of desirability.
There are couple of things I know for sure:
— johnleemk1. I have yet to get a date in college despite repeatedly stating my interest in economics;
2. None of the girls in my economics class are hot.
ok first of all, in my experience economists aren’t the sexiest creatures alive. in fact, i’d rank engineers, advertising creatives, architects and doctors and trust fund layabouts all much higher.
however, i would like to draw your attention to the first rule of freakonomics which is that just because two variables are related doesn’t mean that you can assume which causes what. so. people back away from you at parties. is this because you’re an economist and the very idea of dating an economist is anathema to gorgeous guys and hot chicks OR is it because geeky types are atracted to economics in the first place? i work in advertising. i heard a few years ago that people who worked in advertising had the shortest life expectancy of any profession. i immediately asked myself whether this is because advertising is bad for your health or because advertising attracts live life on the edge over indulgent stress-heads?!
i think the latter.
just askin…
— saibhinI did economics but the most attractive ladies were in my French classes. And the girl-to-guy ratio was 5 to 1. I took three years of it and it had a great time.
— Andrew