It’s that time of the year again, the time to make New Year’s resolutions. Social media are full of marketing campaigns along the lines of “new year, new me”, and they seem to be working – 18 out of the 20 busiest days at the gym in 2022 and 2023 were in January and February, according to one study.[1] Let’s take a closer look at these New Year’s resolutions, whether they succeed in changing our behaviour, and their effects on

Christmas is fast approaching, so what better way to end a year of Thank Fathom it’s Friday than with a short Christmas tale? A merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and happy, restful holidays to you all! It was a dark and freezing cold afternoon when Mr Claus trudged in from the reindeer feeding. Based on the weather outside, you would think that all was right in the world: that the polar ice caps weren’t melting, and that the Claus

Becoming a new dad, which I did for the second time a few weeks ago, is a somewhat surreal experience: time passes at a different speed, perspectives change, survival mode kicks in and the mind wanders. I’m back at work now and reconnecting with the practical aspects of my life. For today’s blog, I merge the new dad and the economist mindsets, and share a few thoughts. Money is nothing Childbirth is the most stressful experience I know, and I’m

‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’ is a rather tired expression, which I must admit I’ve never quite understood. Some suggest it describes a perceived right to do whatever one likes within one’s own four walls. If, however, it is intended to describe the majestic proportions of a typical home in this country, then nothing could be further from the truth. While working on a client project recently I came across an interesting article containing estimates of the average size of

It’s that time of the year in Britain when most small talk involves a predictable moan at the increasingly dark afternoons. This seasonal phenomenon recurs as British Summer Time ends and clocks across the country go back an hour. But this annual ritual of adjusting our clocks is more than just a topic for small talk — it can serve as a reminder of how impactful timekeeping has been in shaping our societies. The origin of tracking time can be

I am 57 years old. Both my parents are still alive, well into their 80s, which is great. However, we recently learned that they are both suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which sucks. I am not going to dwell here on the symptoms of that disease of old age. Many other people have done that with great humour and tenderness, including David Baddiel and the late Terry Pratchett. I recognise the humour that they both drew attention to, and how it

Voters head to the polls this weekend to decide between an incumbent whose popularity has suffered amid high inflation, and an unconventional outsider candidate with weird hair. For Americans unhappy with the probable choices on offer in next year’s election, Argentina shows that it could be worse. Citizens of Latin America’s second largest economy are forced to choose between Sergio Massa, the Minister of Economy in a country with inflation at triple digits, and Javier Milei, an academic economist, who

Is it the season to be jolly yet? Everyone has their own internal clock for when it’s time to turn on the Christmas lights. This year I started thinking about Christmas way earlier than I used to, due to all the festive possibilities that a new baby brings to a household. Yes — I acknowledge that this is an excuse, because our son is too young to care about Christmas. I am striving to contain my excitement (and the expenses),

“It’s more purposeful when you’re not just doing something for yourself, but for people who you don’t even know and have never met” – South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi Last weekend South Africa beat arch-rivals New Zealand 12-11 in the Rugby World Cup final. It is hard to explain to non-South Africans how much the win means to the people of South Africa, a country beset by problems and with a history of racial injustice and division, and how

I recently came across a Netflix series: ‘Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones’. The series discusses so-called ‘Blue Zones’ – a zone with the highest life expectancy or the highest proportion of people who reach age 100 (i.e., centenarians). Five Blue Zones have been identified in the world – the Barbagia region (Sardinia), Ikaria (Greece), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Seventh Day Adventists (US) and Okinawa (Japan). The chart below indicates the share of the population that are centenarians in Okinawa