I was recently in Norway for an economic conference, and it was fantastic. There were talks that ranged from global warming to how do we tax space use, to behavioral economics, to social issues, to Norwegian people complaining about the politician who promised that ferries would be and they still are not free. It was a good week that also included some interesting documentaries. And as I was walking around on the last day, I decided I wanted a souvenir. I asked myself, how should I think about souvenirs? I thought about getting something that felt Norwegian, maybe a troll or something similar. But I decided instead to think about souvenirs more generally. And I asked myself what I wanted from a souvenir? So today is about how to think like a social scientist, and within that, thinking about souvenirs.
I decided I wanted something to remind me of my wonderful week here. And I wanted this reminder to be kind of constant in my life. If I got something that was kept in a drawer or in the garden, I wouldn’t think about it often. I wanted something that would remind me of Norway and would be something that would be constant in my life. I thought about t-shirt. But I would only wear it from time to time. Anyway, I eventually decided to get eyeglasses. Eyeglasses are constantly with us. And I have to say that I have some reasonably good eyeglasses but they’re not particularly memorable. Eyeglasses are something that you see next to you quite a lot, and when you put them on, you see yourself in them especially in this zoom world. So I thought eyeglasses would be a fantastic memento. I wanted the eyeglasses to be different than my others. Like everybody who has eyesight issues, I have lots of pairs in different places. One at home, one in the office, one on my desk and so on. I decided I wanted these glasses to be shaped in a strange way that would be extra memorable to really remind me of this trip. Anyway, here is what I chose. What do you think?
My prediction is that these are sufficiently funny looking glasses. They have multiple colors: yellow and purplish, and they will certainly be a reminder when they’re next to me and when I wear them. In fact, even now, as I’m talking to you and recording this, I’m thinking about a moment of walking in a beautiful town after a talk and thinking about space taxation.
Anyway, to making better decisions about souvenirs, about memories, and better decisions, in general.
