Photo by Kalle Gustafsson

Breakup Stimulus

Amateur economics: breakups are good for the economy — hear me out.

Things people do when they breakup:

• Go shopping
• Join the gym
• Buy more food and eat out more
• Indulge in things they would otherwise think were unnecessary/expensive
• Drink more
• Go on more dates
• Travel
• Read more (buy more books)
• Save less
• Start a new project/venture (Hello, Facebook!)
• If it’s a legally recognised relationship that’s breaking down (divorce), then the two individuals will pay more tax than they were paying as a couple
• In fact, there are many economic benefits to being in a couple (sharing a room, car, etc)
• After the initial period of mourning, focus more on work/careers
• After the initial indulgence phase wears off, they are healthier (they joined a gym, remember), so they’re less likely to use the healthcare system

So forget austerity, if you need to inject some life into your ailing economy, find a way to cause mass break-ups.

This piece is part of my attempt to write 14 posts in 14 days. For those keeping count… who are you and why are you stalking me? Also, I really don’t recommend serious economists paying much heed to this silly piece. Of course, hit the ❤ if you like the irony of clicking the “heart icon” for a piece about break-ups.