Why economists should like booze
The Economist writes:
Consider the economics of the restaurant industry. Alcohol offers higher profit margins than food as it requires less labour to prepare. Indeed, using official American data, your columnist estimates that booze accounts for all the profits of the restaurant industry. Drinkers subsidise non-drinkers. Those who order sparkling water can feel sanctimonious in the short run. But if no one orders a bottle of Bordeaux, many restaurants will go under.
Be interesting if this data is the same for New Zealand.
Second, abstinence makes people lonelier. For centuries alcohol has served a social function. It helps people relax. Taking a drink also signals to others that you are happy to be slower and more vulnerable—that you have left your weapon at the door—which puts them at ease. A study from 2012 in Psychological Science found that alcohol increases social bonding. Robin Dunbar of Oxford University and colleagues find that frequenting a pub improves how engaged people feel with their community, in turn raising life satisfaction. It is not a stretch to say that alcohol has played a big evolutionary role in fostering human connection.
Many couples credit alcohol, at least in part, for bringing them together. So it may not be a coincidence that the alcohol-shunning young are lonely.
People do drink to relax and socialise.
For centuries creative folk, from Aeschylus to Coleridge to Dickens, have relied on alcohol for inspiration. In the 1960s, when productivity was soaring, everyone was drunk all the time. No other drug has played such a consistent role in human innovation. Being intoxicated opens up the possibility of accidents of insight. Purely rational, linear minds have fewer of the flashes of brilliance that can turn an art form or an industry upside-down. It allows brains to disconnect. A study of American painters in 1946 by Ann Roe of Yale University noted that 'a nightly cocktail before dinner may contribute to the avoidance of a state of chronic tension, especially…when creative activity is at its height.'
Studies suggest that alcohol, deployed judiciously, can aid the creative process. Andrew Jarosz of Mississippi State University and colleagues have found that intoxicated people solved problems faster and 'were more likely to perceive their solutions as the result of a sudden insight'.
Fascinating.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kiwiblog
13 hours ago
- Kiwiblog
Why economists should like booze
The Economist writes: Consider the economics of the restaurant industry. Alcohol offers higher profit margins than food as it requires less labour to prepare. Indeed, using official American data, your columnist estimates that booze accounts for all the profits of the restaurant industry. Drinkers subsidise non-drinkers. Those who order sparkling water can feel sanctimonious in the short run. But if no one orders a bottle of Bordeaux, many restaurants will go under. Be interesting if this data is the same for New Zealand. Second, abstinence makes people lonelier. For centuries alcohol has served a social function. It helps people relax. Taking a drink also signals to others that you are happy to be slower and more vulnerable—that you have left your weapon at the door—which puts them at ease. A study from 2012 in Psychological Science found that alcohol increases social bonding. Robin Dunbar of Oxford University and colleagues find that frequenting a pub improves how engaged people feel with their community, in turn raising life satisfaction. It is not a stretch to say that alcohol has played a big evolutionary role in fostering human connection. Many couples credit alcohol, at least in part, for bringing them together. So it may not be a coincidence that the alcohol-shunning young are lonely. People do drink to relax and socialise. For centuries creative folk, from Aeschylus to Coleridge to Dickens, have relied on alcohol for inspiration. In the 1960s, when productivity was soaring, everyone was drunk all the time. No other drug has played such a consistent role in human innovation. Being intoxicated opens up the possibility of accidents of insight. Purely rational, linear minds have fewer of the flashes of brilliance that can turn an art form or an industry upside-down. It allows brains to disconnect. A study of American painters in 1946 by Ann Roe of Yale University noted that 'a nightly cocktail before dinner may contribute to the avoidance of a state of chronic tension, especially…when creative activity is at its height.' Studies suggest that alcohol, deployed judiciously, can aid the creative process. Andrew Jarosz of Mississippi State University and colleagues have found that intoxicated people solved problems faster and 'were more likely to perceive their solutions as the result of a sudden insight'. Fascinating.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Mass evacuation after wartime bombs found
An area was cordoned off opposite Cologne Cathedral after the discovery of World War 2-era bombs. Photo: Reuters TV Thousands of people have been evacuated from central Cologne in western Germany following the discovery of three wartime bombs, in what the city authority called the largest such operation since the end of World War 2. An evacuation zone with a radius of 1000 metres was cleared from 8am on Wednesday (local time), affecting about 20,500 residents along with many workers and hotel guests in the city's old town and Deutz district. Three American bombs, each with impact fuses, were found during construction work on Monday in Deutz, a bustling area on the bank of the River Rhine. Bomb disposal experts planned to disarm the ordnance. Unexploded bombs are often found in Germany, where many major cities sustained heavy damage during the war. The evacuation area includes one hospital, two retirement homes, nine schools, and many hotels and museums. "Everyone involved hopes that the defusing can be completed in the course of Wednesday. This is only possible if all those affected leave their homes or workplaces early and stay outside the evacuation area from the outset on that day," the city authority said in a statement. The measures caused major transport disruptions in the city of over 1 million people, with Germany's national rail operator warning that many trains would be diverted or cancelled. A stretch of the Rhine would be blocked off before the bomb disposal operation begins. The Rhine, which runs from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea via Cologne, is one of Europe's key waterways for the transportation of commodities such as grain and coal. Private television station RTL, whose main office is located in the evacuation zone, interrupted its morning news programme. "We have to leave," the news anchor said, grabbing his bag as the lights were turned off.
Otago Daily Times
29-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
A home with climate in mind
Auckland-based architect Megan Rule looks at a trailblazing architect whose own home was a practical response to the sometimes harsh southern environment. Built in 1947, "Telesis" is a little-known gem on the sand dunes of Otatara near Invercargill. It was designed by architect Monica Barham with her husband Cecil Barham as their own "terraced residential studio" — a living laboratory for modern family life. "Telesis" was named after a school of thought on planned progress that emanated from the west coast of the United States. The Barhams shared an interest in the international work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright that emerged from his Arizona atelier, "Taliesin West", during the 1930s — especially a more compact, affordable and energy-efficient house, responsive to climate conditions and comfort. The Barhams deftly responded to the local climate and conditions, nestling their own two-storey dwelling into their sloping site to shelter from the sometimes cold, stormy winters. Native vegetation and planting helped moderate the microclimate of the property. To address thermal comfort, the interior layout placed the service rooms and circulation spaces along the southern side of both levels. These continuous buffer zones help the living areas maintain a more consistent and comfortable temperature by creating a thermal bridge. The main entry anchors the southwest corner of the house, with a pergola to soften and protect a recessed porch. Beyond is a voluminous entry lobby that can ably shepherd one in multiple directions. A sunroom located off the main entry led directly into the garden. The kitchen and laundry connected through a carport to a sunny drying courtyard. In a sometimes drought-prone climate, the carport roof added rainwater catchment to nearby water tanks. The central living room features a sloping ceiling that follows the roof line towards a south-facing, high-level glazed clerestory. The extra daylight captured throughout the day adds volume and drama to the space. The clerestory also offers an optimal path for thermal breeze and cross-ventilation on hotter summer days. Placement of a north-orientated living level above the lower-level bedroom wing was progressive for its time, allowing views across the Waihopai River estuary towards the city. The bedrooms open northwards directly on to the private garden while the upper living space spills on to a balcony. An advanced concrete floor system and masonry retaining walls formed the bedroom level. The main living level is completed in solid timber framing and joinery. Innovative, inclined windows beneath the eaves of the living space increase the sense of volume and contrast with the more intimate low roof overhang without compromising on weather protection. On a chilly southern day, an open fire delivers solid heat to the living room. The chunky native timber hearth trim has decorative circular holes, hinting that the fire box benefits from introduced thermal dynamics that enhance the fire's performance. Monica Barham's distinctive built legacy, in partnership with her husband Cecil, has become increasingly important in illustrating a New Zealand mid-century cultural canon. Projects led or drawn by her included the Winton RSA Clubrooms (1950), St Peter's Methodist Church (now Elles Rd Baptist Chapel), Invercargill (1957), and Oak Tree Inn (now Crossroads Clinton cafe, bar and motel), (1966). Barham's Don St Medical Centre in Invercargill, completed in 1956, is the earliest known building by a female architect to receive an award from the New Zealand Institute of Architects — an enduring southern architecture award in 2023. Nevertheless, its future now hangs in the balance, with a two-year reprieve before its proposed removal makes way for a still-unknown replacement. Monica Barham and her buildings appear in several recent publications. Making Space: A History of New Zealand Women in Architecture (2022) was edited by Elizabeth Cox. A monograph, Monica Barham: So You're Building: You and the Architect (2024), together with the recent self-titled exhibition at He Waka Tuia Invercargill Public Art Gallery feature Barham's work and art, while the guide, Monica F. Barham in Southland: Itinerary (2024), records some of her surviving projects. Megan Rule's PhD research at the University of Auckland is focused on early female architects in Otago and Southland and the ways in which their work adapted to the climate and the environment. As a teenager, she worked in the office founded by Monica Barham's father.
