Giveaways

Dollars, Sex, and Books(?): 10 Questions About Love and Dating Readers Wish Economics Could Answer

Rebecca Joines Schinsky

Chief of Staff

Rebecca Joines Schinsky is the executive director of product and ecommerce at Riot New Media Group. She co-hosts All the Books! and the Book Riot Podcast. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccaschinsky.

dollars and sexLast week we revealed an infographic from Dollars and Sex by Dr. Marina Adshade asking the question, “Does online dating lead to better marriages?

Then we asked you, our bookish and bawdy readers, to share the questions about dating and mating you would love to have explained with economics. Here are 10 of the most fun and interesting questions you submitted. Have some thoughts about the answers? Share them in the comments!

What sort of economic factors influence perceptions of physical attractiveness?

Is there a real aggregated value in your academic background, or is it more of a reductive equation when finding a partner?

Do people who list reading as a hobby on dating sites get more dates, or fewer?

How is education level related to success on dating sites?

Is it more economical to date, marry, or simply utilize professionals for sex?

If the bread winner in a marriage is female does it put stress on the relationship?

Do paid dating sites yield better results than free ones?

Who is more influenced by potential partners’ income levels: men or women?

Do couples in which both partners read make more money than couples with just one reader?

Is it better to lie a little bit in an online dating profile or be completely truthful about EVERYTHING?

And the bonus round:

If I’m such a catch, why am I still single?