In short, humans are programmed to get bored. Emily Oster More Quotes by Emily Oster More Quotes From Emily Oster The key to good decision making is evaluating the available information - the data - and combining it with your own estimates of pluses and minuses. As an economist, I do this every day. Emily Oster datakeysdecision The most active period of the witchcraft trials coincides with a period of lower than average temperature known to climatologists as the "little ice age"...In a time period when the reasons for changes in weather were largely a mystery, people would have searched for a scapegoat in the face of deadly changes in weather patterns. 'Witches' became target for blame because there was an existing cultural framework that both allowed their persecution and suggested that they could control the weather. Emily Oster iceweatheraverage Prenatal testing is a complicated decision for many women, forcing us to confront concerns about a disabled child and risks of miscarriage. Emily Oster miscarriagedecisionchildren Because economics is all about optimising, doing the best you can with what you have - it's usually the first place you should look for answers if you want to maximise your happiness. Emily Oster answerswantlooks For many women - myself included - pregnancy brings on tremendous anxiety and confusion, along with the joy. Emily Oster confusionjoypregnancy All's fair in love and purchasing. Emily Oster fairspurchasing Talking to women about birth can be polarizing. Emily Oster polarizingbirthtalking Good household decision-making often relies on thinking about your household like a firm. Emily Oster thinking-about-youfirmdecision Even if you are planning a birth with an epidural, the evidence suggests that a doula can help make things go much more smoothly. Emily Oster doulasplanninghelping Adhering to budgeting rules shouldn't trump good decision-making. Emily Oster budgetingtrumpdecision There is some risk to increase birth defects if you do a lot of outdoor gardening when you are pregnant. That can increase rates of toxoplasmosis. Emily Oster birth-defectsgardeningrisk Economists actually disagree about whether there are significant economic returns from attending an elite college versus a less-selective one. Emily Oster economicreturncollege As people do a task, they improve at it. Emily Oster taskspeople Being pregnant was a lot like being a child again. There was always someone telling you what to do. Emily Oster pregnantbeing-pregnantchildren When I meet people on airplanes and they find out I'm an economist, they usually ask about stock tips. Emily Oster economistairplanepeople Education campaigns ... may not be enough, at least not alone. If people have no incentive to avoid AIDS on their own, even if they know everything about the disease, they still may not change their behavior. Emily Oster motivationinspirationpeople I think we've moved to thinking of parenting and pregnancy as something in which you should lose yourself. Emily Oster losing-yourselfpregnancythinking I travel a fair amount, read on the plane, and I read fast. Emily Oster amountfairsplanes One of the big take-aways from a lot of economic theory is that people should engage in consumption smoothing. Emily Oster economictheorypeople Feminists of my mother's generation argued that both mom and dad should work a little less and each do some of the household chores. My parents, for example, split everything 50/50. Even though my father is a terrible cook, he still made dinner exactly half the time. Emily Oster dadmommother
