Christopher Coyne

This Valentine’s Day, we’ll hear a lot about the economy-boosting powers of the holiday from the usual cast of pundits and media commentators. As an actual economist, however, I can confidently make a more romantic prediction: The annual ritual of treating our beloveds matters more to our social wellbeing than it does to our economy. At a time when all things financial have many of us feeling cold, economics tells us it’s okay to love Valentine’s Day for its own sake. Three key economic concepts tell us why. (more)