The rest of the conversation went something like this...
Mike: "Maggie...why do you tease?"
Me: "Oh Mike I only aim to please!"
Mike: "First you're here, then in Utah, then you run off to New York! Why do you do this?"
(And this is when genius struck me)
Me: "To keep supply low and market price high for my dating stock dearest Folsom. I don't want to flood the market...so if I just leave town here and there, snag the occasional boyfriend here and there, and remain relatively unavailable...then every time I come back to town it's like re-entering the market. Every welcome home should be like an IPO!"
I was joking when I said this...but then I started thinking...THIS IS TRUE!
First let's discuss the supply and demand curve.....here it is.....
As you can see, the y axis is price and the x axis is the quantity. The supply curve explains that as price increases, suppliers are willing to supply a greater quantity...but the demand curve operates in the opposite, when the price decreases more people are willing to buy. An efficient market operates at the equilibrium point where suppliers and demanders agree upon price and quantity.So how does this apply to dating? Well first of all we need to adjust the supply curve...because there is only one of you...so you can really only provide one quantity...and to be honest the idea of supplying more of yourself with an increase in price is verging on prostitution (but maybe that's just my opinion...I am, in fact, watching Moulin Rouge at the moment).
So here we have the supply and demand curve of dating with a vertical supply curve...I have appropriately marked equilibrium as you can tell.
Here equilibrium is relatively low...Think of price as the quality of men in your life. So at this point the men in your life are less than impressive.That's ok! because thanks to modern economic theory...there IS such thing as a shift in the supply curve. Now there may be only one of you...but you can make yourself somewhat more 'elusive' as it were. This is what Mike was referring to when he asked me why i was always gone. By limiting supply you can sufficiently shift the supply curve to the left, raising the price at which equilibrium occurs!
The next shift is slightly harder to achieve, however, and requires a little more time and investment. A shift in the demand curve, in economic theory, raises the price at which a consumer would be willing to pay for a commodity at any given quantity. Or....in this case...luck you! you can now expect equilibrium (or Lamour) to occur at a higher price (aka with better quality of men).
So how do you make this happen? Easy, improve the quality of your offering. . .education, life experience, musical talent, what have you....The point is, you're in control of your dating equilibrium....Which is why I've currently decided to take time out of dating. . .decrease my face time (creating a supply shift) in the dating market...focus on school/my internship this summer in New York City (creating a shift in the demand curve)...and come back in August to a better dating market. . .aka better men.
Taking control of your love life is easy...which is why I'm encouraging every girl currently disappointed with her love life to say...
"Honey, I'm on Holiday!"
I just had an awful flashback of sitting in my accounting class and the professor might as well of been speaking chinese I had no idea what he was talking about, but now that you've taken the concepts of accounting and applied them to the opposite sex I totally get it! Oh maggie.
ReplyDeleteMaggie. You are an absolute genius. This sounds corny but I really can't wait to see where you are/who youre married to in 10 years. You blow my mind. i love this post.
ReplyDeleteAnd they say that educating girls is a waste! Love it --Kristen (your cousin) linking here from Facebook
ReplyDeletebut what if i'm ALWAYS on holiday? and a MAN. how can this apply to me?
ReplyDeletethen when you have your IPO (Intial Public Offering) LOOK OUT! expect high returns...
ReplyDeleteBULL MARKET my friend
HAHA! I'm not even sure how I landed on this, but it's amazing. I wish I had an award to offer besides "person i wish i knew"
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your theory. I feel like a fire on a winter campout, when I go home to visit, because everyone wants to be around me. Probably because they haven't had enough time to get sick of me yet. :D
ReplyDeleteI think I understand. I demand maggie in my life and the supply of maggies is way low.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh hahahaah Maggie you crack me up. You lost me on the first graph. I love your love for those awful things. Hope all is well!! :)
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA!!! Indeed Maggie. This is a GREAT post!!!
ReplyDeleteNow I'd like to see you analyze the link between why people get married and Opportunity Cost. That concept was the first "Economics in Dating" I was introduced to. Now I see you theory and love it as well!
I do have an observation though:
Is not your theory flawed on the girl who doesn't really get asked out on dates at all? you know, the girl in the ward who often complains rather publicly that she's been at BYU _____ years and has only been on ________ dates? (Or more likely, hasn't been asked on any dates at all?)
To which I'll respond for the readers of my comment, Nay sir or madam. I've realized that what I thought was a flaw in Maggie's theory has proved to strengthen it.
You see, it is widely accepted that when a girl get her mission papers that her dates will spike. Why? Because her market supply will be limited in the future. So demand increases.
Why do people in Singles Wards often gossip about the newest couple? Is it really because we have nothing better to do? Or is there something more? Could we not be more attracted to the person who has left the dating market? And we think about it and discuss it openly, but under the guise of "Singles Ward Gossip"?
I love this theory.
Moral of the story?
Ugly girls. Leave the market.
love the post. love the comments. I just feel so honored to have high supply of Maggie :) every day PLUS all the concerts this weekend. Wow, I am lucky.
ReplyDelete