Re: poly: Why Oldies Stations?

In a message dated 4/2/98 4:19:47 PM, hanson@econ.berkeley.edu wrote:

>Here are some theories to explain this pattern:
>1) Only young people have the time to explore new ways of doing things.
> Older folks are too busy to reconsider these choices.
>2) The main function of these behaviors is to bond with and identify
> with a cohort. They are flags of allegiance.
>3) People invest in integrating this stuff into their lives, and so
> choices get entrenched. For example, one may learn that in a
> certain mood one likes a certain musician. Or one's clothing
> wardrobe may be coordinated with one's makeup style.

How about plain 'ol diminishing returns? After having evaluated
dozens of food styles, hundreds of restaurants, and thousands of
dishes, my expected gain from evaluating a new possibility is far
less than it was when I was just starting out. It makes sense for
my to redirect my efforts to areas where diminishing returns are
less marked (such as career and children) or where I'm just starting
(decorating my house). This is very similar to 1 and 3, just stated
in a different way.

To elaborate on 2), many activities, particularly fashion, play a
role in sexual selection. If one has already made a mate choice,
it may make sense to redirect efforts away from such fields. If
one has to worry about *keeping* one's mate, of course, one may
have to keep it up. I think this is why men tend to lose interest
in fashion far more than women. This extends beyond fashion, of
course; particularly good knowledge of good foods and music can
play a role in the sexual marketplace too.

I refer to this phenomena in a different way - I say people brand
themselves with the styles of their youth.
Received on Fri Apr 3 01:59:59 1998