The Economics of Faking Ecstasy

20 Pages Posted: 17 Jul 2007 Last revised: 25 Oct 2010

See all articles by Hugo M. Mialon

Hugo M. Mialon

Emory University - Department of Economics

Date Written: October 25, 2010

Abstract

We develop a signaling model of rational lovemaking. In the act of lovemaking, a man and a woman send each other possibly deceptive signals about their true state of ecstasy. For example, if one of the partners is not in ecstasy, then he or she may decide to fake it. The model predicts that (1) a higher cost of faking lowers the probability of faking; (2) middle-aged and old men are more likely to fake than young men; (3) young and old women are more likely to fake than middle-aged women; and (4) love, formally defined as a mixture of altruism and demand for togetherness, increases the likelihood of faking. The predictions are tested with data from the 2000 Orgasm Survey. Besides supporting the model’s predictions, the data also reveal an interesting positive relationship between education and the tendency to fake in both men and women.

Keywords: Economics, Ecstasy, Faking, Signaling, Love, Age, Education

JEL Classification: D82, J16

Suggested Citation

Mialon, Hugo M., The Economics of Faking Ecstasy (October 25, 2010). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1001004 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1001004

Hugo M. Mialon (Contact Author)

Emory University - Department of Economics ( email )

1602 Fishburne Drive
Atlanta, GA 30322
United States

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