Economics is often thought of as a boring subject, and we'll grant you that it's not as exciting as tabloids covering stories like that of Tiger Woods. But with the U.S. Open underway at Pebble Beach, we thought we'd throw a little spice on consumer preference theory by giving you the economist's view on claims that Eldrick is a sex addict. Using some simple tools, we'll show that the greatest golfer of our generation is not a flesh addict, just another individual guilty of infidelity.
Consumer Preference Theory
In a nutshell, within the broad subject of economics is something known as consumer preference theory that is used to explain how consumers go about making choices among competing alternatives. Each of us has limited means and unlimited wants, and economists seek to understand how we allocate our scarce resources in maximizing our happiness. Of course, economists could never use such a simple word as 'happiness', they instead use the word 'utility' to describe how much satisfaction we receive from a particular course of action.
Diminishing Marginal Utility
One of the core principles of consumer preference theory is that of diminishing marginal utility. The easiest way to understand this is through a basic example. We all need to eat, and let's say that our food of choice today is pizza. When we're hungry, the first slice of pizza makes us feel less hungry. The second, a little less, and so on until our hunger is satiated. However, with each successive slice that we eat, our satisfaction gained from each slice of pizza is reduced until at some point we are worse off by eating the next slice.
This is the principle of diminishing marginal utility. While we may be hungry and in the mood for pizza, there is a limit to how much we can eat and still feel better after doing so. Eating too much pizza makes us miserable, but eating just the right amount (the optimal choice) is very satisfying. Graphically, we can show diminishing marginal utility as follows:
Real Addicts
The example above is for someone that isn't addicted to pizza. But what about a meth addict? In their world, there simply is never a point at which more meth is a bad thing. The meth addict that is jones-ing for the next high will be initially relieved to get that first hit. However, this is just the beginning, as the addict continues to get higher and higher. There is no stopping point; there is no diminishing marginal utility. For comparison purposes, an addicts utility increases with each successive fix as shown here:
In looking at Tiger's situation, would it appear that he is an addict or not? We would contend that it is less likely that he is an addict and more likely that he is just a man that made some mistakes. Had he been a true to life addict, he would never be satisfied and likely would have hundreds, if not thousands of people coming out of the woodwork instead of the dozen or two that have surfaced thus far. While economics can be boring, it's principles, theories, and laws can be applied in many ways - even to claims of sex addiction.
NOTE: We make no judgments on Tiger Woods' choices, and are merely exploring the subject of economics through the headlines from the last several months. Any diagnosis of addiction is better left to those in the field of psychology.
So you base your conclusion that TW is not a sex addict based on the number of women who HAVEN'T come forward....that's weak.
There are a million and onpye reasons why a woman who knowingly slept with a married man would not want to admit it. Not everyone is an attention seeker.
Posted by: d. holmes | June 19, 2010 at 02:59 PM
@d. holmes - You've missed the point of the post. Had TW been an addict, he would not stop because his marginal utility would continue to be positive. In other words, he would have hundreds or thousands of partners if he were a true sex addict.
Posted by: TodayForward | June 20, 2010 at 03:02 PM
TF, you do recognize that you have no idea the true number of women Woods has slept with. What you know is the same thing I know: what the tabloid media reports. And from that you conclude Woods is not an addict.
What about behaviour? Setting up your next encounter an hour after the last one? Having sex in parking lots? And to me, the biggest red flag of addiction: the kind of women he dealt with.(porn stars, escorts and strippers) A part of him had to know they would sell him out at the 1st opportunity.
He sounds like an alcoholic or drug addict. Doing insane things to get that next "fix" and because he's famous and wealth he was she to get away with it for over a decade.
Posted by: d. holmes | June 21, 2010 at 01:43 PM
What would be a sufficient number to qualify as an addict? What is the percentage of partners that typically come forward relative to the total. How can there be a conclusion? We simply state the odds are against him being an addict.
Posted by: TodayForward | June 21, 2010 at 02:10 PM
......"Had he been a true addict, he would have hundreds, if not thousands coming out of the woodwork"....
Maybe you're right and I have missed the point of your article. Amidst your graphs and pizza stories I thought you were saying because the number of women bedded is not higher, be probably isn't a sex addict.
You're the one playing the numbers game and I'm saying no one knows the true number of women he slept with. So your central premise is flawed.
Posted by: d. holmes | June 21, 2010 at 02:45 PM
Obviously there is a numbers component, as an alcoholic isn't someone who has one drink. Nor does it matter whom Tiger chose to sleep with (prostitutes and adult film actresses are no different than an alcoholic who chooses scotch or pure grain). It is difficult to convict someone of being an addict when the evidence is scant at best.
The bottom line to the story is that an addict's marginal utility always remains positive and this causes them to continue their behavior (even when it has obvious negative consequences).
Also, just to be clear, are you forwarding the argument that Tiger Woods is definitively addicted to sex?
Posted by: TodayForward | June 21, 2010 at 03:59 PM
Then I guess TW'S marginal utility must have been as positive as a sunny day 'cause he definitely didn't quit....until he got caught. And he continued despite negative consequences (paternity suits and hush money being just two). So yeah, I think he's probably an addict.
As far as his choice of....dates, I'll call them...it strikes me that his choices were quite telling. Women in or on the fringes of the adult entertainment industry have 2 things in common, willingness and availability, which would be his primary concern.
It really isn't the same as a drunk mulling over vodka vs gin.
Posted by: d. holmes | June 21, 2010 at 05:06 PM
Dates?!? That's hilarious! Since he's been caught in the most public way possible, it will be very telling should he return to this pattern.
Either way, your use of the word 'dates' will have us laughing for some time. Thanks for the comments, and feel free to stop by anytime.
Posted by: TodayForward | June 21, 2010 at 05:18 PM