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The cover of Luxury Fever

Luxury Fever

Robert H. Frank

Why do we keep spending more time and money on bigger houses and fancier goods when they hardly make us happier?

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8 parts, about 28 minutes to read.

At a glance

Author
Robert H. Frank
Parts
8 parts
Reading time
about 28 minutes

Why read it

  • You will see how rising luxury spending can leave a family with less time for friends, sleep and exercise
  • You will question whether a richer country is a happier one, since past a certain level of affluence average satisfaction stops rising with income
  • You will learn what Frank says slower luxury growth could buy instead: safer water, cleaner air and safer food

Who it is for

  • A professional working long hours to afford a bigger home
  • A shopper tempted by the newest premium appliance
  • A policy reader interested in the economics of consumption

What the summary covers

  1. The spreading luxury boom3 min
  2. Income and its costs3 min
  3. Wellbeing, time, and the future5 min
  4. Relative position and the collective cost8 min
  5. Why older remedies fail2 min
  6. Taxing total consumption2 min
  7. Growth and the public choices4 min
  8. The choice left on the table1 min

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