« Markets in everything, German style | Main | What if you always get the same outcome? »

What influences your social interactions?

Work doesn't seem to limit socializing.  My favorite result was that the better-educated people seem to fear visiting relatives:

Over time, increases in hours of work per capita have created the intuitively plausible notion that there is less time available to pursue social interactions. The specific question addressed in this paper is the effect of hours of work on social interaction. This is a difficult empirical question since omitted factors could increase both hours of work and social interaction. The approach taken in this paper utilizes an exogenous decline in hours of work in France due to a new employment law. The results clearly show that the employment law reduced hours of work but there is no evidence that the extra hours went to increased social interactions. Although hours of work are not an important determinant of social interaction, human capital is found to be important. The effect of human capital, as measured by education and age, is positive for membership groups but negative for visiting relatives and friends. Also, contrary to expectations, there are no important differences in the determinants of social interaction by gender, marital status or parent status. Finally, a comparison between France and the US show that the response to human capital and other variables are much the same in both nations.

Here is the paper, I don't yet see a non-gated version on-line.

Posted by Tyler Cowen on January 29, 2008 at 02:52 PM in Data Source | Permalink

Comments

I love your post, thank you for the info I dont think the interaction does involve longer hours. A human is a human anywhere in the world.

Posted by: Social community at Jan 29, 2008 3:02:31 PM

I love your post, thank you for the info I dont think the interaction does involve longer hours. A human is a human anywhere in the world.

Posted by: Social community at Jan 29, 2008 3:03:14 PM

Now I can explain to my parents why I don't visit much!! Its my damn education mom, sorry, nothing personal. I can't wait to try that one out

Posted by: angus at Jan 29, 2008 7:53:57 PM

So, contrary to popular belief work hours is not a substitute for social interaction? We will have our socialization at the same rate almost regardless of the number of hours worked...also, the line between social interaction has been blurred with the advent of online social networking. (I don't have to talk to my friends outside of work, I just have a googletalk bubble up on my desktop)how does that factor into the ability to research "social interaction"?

Side note: Mr. Cowen, you were quoted on the Economists blog "Free Exchange" today,

http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2008/01/dread_meat.cfm

Enjoy!

Posted by: Rachel at Jan 29, 2008 11:36:30 PM

Wow... "The approach taken in this paper utilizes an exogenous decline in hours of work in France due to a new employment law." ...And we wonder why people don't understand economics.

Isn't this from the abstract, the section that should summarize?

Posted by: The other Eric at Jan 29, 2008 11:37:33 PM

Three things that influence my social interactions: loneliness, stress, and weather.

Posted by: axel molotov at Jan 30, 2008 12:13:38 AM

I guess it's not too relevant to their results, but isn't the definition of human capital as a function of education and age sligthly odd?

For example, if you look at the statement that human capital had a positive effect on group membership looks very different if you know it really means age, and higher age just means you have had more opportunities to join groups. Also, my understanding is that in the wider social capital literature the concept relates to social networks.

Anyway, personally working less would (and has) influenced my time spent on social interactions.

Posted by: outtahere at Jan 30, 2008 3:08:03 AM

I see little mention of recovery-time as a function of work-loads - with its resultant scale of stress. Yet it's a good
reason for why it takes one worker two straight weeks of vacation to obtain the same number of 'utils', if you will, that
another worker can achieve in merely a week off work. So that introducing an extra hour of leisure time is nonlinear across
the labor supply - and any averaging would require constant updating for any reliable human capital index. All of which is
likely a contributor to variability in the increase of social interaction rates based on declining work hours, with each
member having her/his own subjective, experiential-based, and cost/benefit-derived satisfaction rate.

Posted by: TomG at Jan 30, 2008 4:55:41 AM

"My favorite result was that the better-educated people seem to fear visiting relatives"

My guess would be that education and what it entails (traveling abroad for work/phd-related reasons, for instance) ends up, to some extent, making you more different from your relatives and childhood friends than what your counterfactual-self with less years of education would have been. If this guess is correct (i only have anecdotical evdience) it is not exactly education per se but other factors associated with it (job and regional mobility, career involvement, wider horizons, different experiences...) what causes you to visit your relatives less often.

Other potential explanations:

- formal education raises everybody's expectations regarding your "life performance" but in practice education seems to be way more helpful in getting you a nice job than in getting you a "nice" non-professional life. You go back home and despite the PhD and all that they look at you funny because you are still the same good old mess.

- formal education also raises your own expectations in general as well as your critical thinking capacity. This has many good side effects but I would not bet it is a 100% effective recipe for being happy and avoiding becoming sort of emotionally dissociated.

Posted by: Olivia at Jan 30, 2008 5:17:15 AM

"My favorite result was that the better-educated people seem to fear visiting relatives"

My guess would be that education and what it entails (traveling abroad for work/phd-related reasons, for instance) ends up, to some extent, making you more different from your relatives and childhood friends than what your counterfactual-self with less years of education would have been. If this guess is correct (i only have anecdotical evdience) it is not exactly education per se but other factors associated with it (job and regional mobility, career involvement, wider horizons, different experiences...) what causes you to visit your relatives less often.

Other potential explanations:

- formal education raises everybody's expectations regarding your "life performance" but in practice education seems to be way more helpful in getting you a nice job than in getting you a "nice" non-professional life. You go back home and despite the PhD and all that they look at you funny because you are still the same good old mess.

- formal education also raises your own expectations in general as well as your critical thinking capacity. This has many good side effects but I would not bet it is a 100% effective recipe for being happy and avoiding becoming sort of emotionally dissociated.

Posted by: Olivia at Jan 30, 2008 5:18:43 AM

The presence or absence of halfway-decent food plays a big role in my social-interactions life.

Posted by: Michael Blowhard at Jan 30, 2008 8:52:58 AM

I have seen this phenomenon with all of my friends: when single or with a partner, time spent with friends is large and family less. Have a child and that allocation swings in the other direction.

Posted by: meter at Jan 30, 2008 9:20:04 AM

Olivia -

I have a fear of visiting with a certain part of my family, the less educated poor side. I like spending time with the richer less educated side, almost as much as the richer more educated side. Its less stimulating to interact with the less educated poor side, and they also decrease my confidence levels because they remind me of where I come from and how much I have to overcome to become successful. Whereas, the richer side is more able to entertain me, regardless of if we have anything in common. Also, the richer sides are a confidence boost because the less educated side shows me that I do not have to become the smartest person in the world to make money, and the more educated side shows me I may have some genetic ability to become successful.

Posted by: Brainwarped at Jan 30, 2008 10:57:57 AM

提供钢管无缝钢管数据恢复心理咨询心理辅导与心理治疗bjxlzx.cn等服务

Posted by: baom at Feb 9, 2008 12:03:03 AM

一家翻译公司|秀专业深圳翻译|深圳翻译公司|提供同声传译

Posted by: 深圳翻译公司 at Feb 23, 2008 9:57:57 AM

hi,I University majoring in the legal profession.After graduation,I 徵信 the work of the strong interest.Has worked in several徵信社.Has a wealth of experience. Now I immigrants France,Hope to continue to engage in the work of徵信 credit.

now, is to wake up every day to drink 咖啡, shopping. I hope that early awareness of Boles.

thanks,thank very much.

Posted by: Tonny at Mar 18, 2008 8:13:03 PM

Very nice article! Thanks for this!

Posted by: 二宮沙樹 at Jul 28, 2008 7:36:06 AM

聽說在國外淘一輛中古車非常的容易,到處都是,真想有一輛自己的車,哪怕是二手車也行。這樣就不用受聘于租車公司了。有這方面信息的請email我。

Posted by: 租車 at Sep 26, 2008 2:56:42 AM

And the more cheap cabal gold is very good for you.

Posted by: cabal gold at Jan 1, 2009 10:34:34 PM

Bvlgari Jewelry
Replica Bvlgari Jewelry
Bvlgari Replica Jewelry
Gucci Jewelry
Replica Gucci Jewelry

Posted by: aion kina at Mar 18, 2009 2:00:42 AM

花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花東旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車,花蓮旅遊,租車公司,花蓮旅行社,花蓮旅遊景點,花蓮旅遊行程,花蓮旅遊地圖,花蓮租車資訊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車旅遊網,花蓮租車,花蓮租車,花蓮租車,花東旅遊景點,租車,花蓮旅遊,花東旅遊行程,花東旅遊地圖,花蓮租車公司,花蓮租車,花蓮旅遊租車,花蓮租車,花蓮旅遊,花蓮賞鯨,花蓮旅遊,花蓮旅遊,租車,花蓮租車,花蓮租車 ,花蓮 租車,花蓮,花蓮旅遊網,花蓮租車網,花蓮,租車,花東 旅遊,花蓮 租車,花蓮,旅遊,租車公司,花蓮,花蓮旅遊,花東旅遊,花蓮地圖,包車,花蓮,旅遊租車,花蓮 租車,租車,花蓮租車資訊網,花蓮 旅遊,租車,花東,花東地圖,租車公司,租車網,花蓮租車旅遊,租車,花蓮,賞鯨,花蓮旅遊租車,花東旅遊,租車網,花蓮海洋公園,租車 ,花蓮 租車,花蓮,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車公司,租車花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮包車,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮旅行社,花東旅遊,花蓮包車,租車,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮一日遊,租車服務,花蓮租車公司,花蓮包車,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮包車,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮租車,租車網,花蓮租車公司,花蓮旅遊,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,租車花蓮,租車服務,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮旅遊,花蓮賞鯨,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮包車,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,租車花蓮,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,租車花蓮,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮包車,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮包車,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮包車,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮包車,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊租車,花蓮租車,花蓮租車公司,花蓮一日遊,花蓮租車網,花蓮旅遊租車,花蓮租車網,花蓮租車,花蓮一日遊,租車花蓮,花蓮租車,花蓮旅遊租車,花蓮租車,花蓮租車旅遊,花蓮租車,花蓮旅遊,花蓮旅遊,花蓮包車,花蓮溯溪,花蓮泛舟,花蓮溯溪旅遊網,花蓮旅遊,花蓮民宿,花蓮入口網,花蓮民宿黃頁,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車,租車公司,花蓮旅遊租車,花蓮租車,租車,花蓮旅遊,花蓮租車


Posted by: ★〃漫步〃★ at Mar 24, 2009 8:33:57 AM

most of things are related

Posted by: batter at May 14, 2009 5:06:31 AM

It is enlightening!

Posted by: jean at May 14, 2009 5:07:05 AM

Every success is based on continuous efforts. It is not possible be done over nigh.

Posted by: kyle at May 14, 2009 5:07:44 AM

Post a comment