ext_64441 ([identity profile] hermitgeecko.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] sparr 2014-10-16 03:48 pm (UTC)

But that's meaningless. Opportunity always has a cost. If you measure opportunity cost as an explicit negative, then you're "anti" almost everything.

To illustrate:

Let's say that my options tonight are going to a party, going to the movies, going out to dinner, or staying in and reading.

Each of these has potential value to me in terms of happiness vs. energy expenditure. Pretend it can be measured in points, such as:

going to a party - 7 points
going to dinner - 5 points
staying in and reading - 10 points
going to the movies - 3 points

If I opt to go to the movies instead of staying in and reading, I'm giving up 7 potential happiness points.

That doesn't mean I'm anti-going-to-the-movies - in fact, there's a clear happiness bonus from going to the movies. But all other things being equal, it would make no sense for me to go to the movies instead of staying in and reading.

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