Quantum money, which has recently been partially implemented in an experimental setting, offers the privacy & anonymity of physical cash, & the option to transact without the involvement of a third party

Quantum Technology for Economists. Isaiah Hull, Or Sattath, Eleni Diamanti3, and Goran Wendin. Sveriges Riksbank Working Paper Series, No. 398. December 2020. https://www.riksbank.se/globalassets/media/rapporter/working-papers/2019/no.-398-quantum-technology-for-economists.pdf

Abstract: Research on quantum technology spans multiple disciplines: physics, computer science, engineering, and mathematics. The objective of this manuscript is to provide an accessible introduction to this emerging field for economists that is centered around quantum computing and quantum money. We proceed in three steps. First, we discuss basic concepts in quantum computing and quantum communication, assuming knowledge of linear algebra and statistics, but not of computer science or physics. This covers fundamental topics, such as qubits, superposition, entanglement, quantum circuits, oracles, and the no-cloning theorem. Second, we provide an overview of quantum money, an early invention of the quantum communication literature that has recently been partially implemented in an experimental setting. One form of quantum money offers the privacy and anonymity of physical cash, the option to transact without the involvement of a third party, and the efficiency and convenience of a debit card payment. Such features cannot be achieved in combination with any other form of money. Finally, we review all existing quantum speedups that have been identified for algorithms used to solve and estimate economic models. This includes function approximation, linear systems analysis, Monte Carlo simulation, matrix inversion, principal component analysis, linear regression, interpolation, numerical differentiation, and true random number generation. We also discuss the difficulty of achieving quantum speedups and comment on common misconceptions about what is achievable with quantum computing.

Keywords: Quantum Computing, Econometrics, Computational Economics, Money, Central Banks.

JEL Classification: C50, C60, E40, E50.

Adjusting for absolute body mass index, individuals with high relative BMI are more likely to report low levels of life satisfaction; the link between relative BMI & life satisfaction is similar for both men & women

Assessing the importance of relative body weight in shaping life satisfaction: Evidence from 1 million Americans. Jinho Kim. Current Psychology, Jan 9 2021. https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-021-01360-z

Rolf Degen's take: https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1347875756676943873

Abstract: Using data from the 2005–2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, this study shows that an individual’s ordinal body mass index (BMI) rank in a reference group is an important determinant of life satisfaction. This study finds that, adjusting for absolute BMI, individuals with high relative BMI are more likely to report low levels of life satisfaction. This relationship depends on group-specific social comparisons (i.e., within race/ethnic groups), especially for women. This study also shows that the link between relative BMI and life satisfaction is similar for both men and women, and persists into old age. Among women, the negative association between relative BMI and life satisfaction is driven largely by those residing in urban areas. No such patterns are found among men. To make further progress in understanding the relationship between BMI and psychological health and well-being, it is essential to consider how the meaning of an individual’s body weight might differ in reference to others’ body weight.

Playboy and Pornification: 65 Years of the Playboy Centerfold

Playboy and Pornification: 65 Years of the Playboy Centerfold. Hannah Regan. Sexuality & Culture, Jan 9 2021. https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12119-020-09809-2

Rolf Degen's take: https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1347827683598737408

Abstract: In the more than 6 decades since its founding, Playboy magazine has had to contend with a great deal of cultural change, most significantly the rise of the Internet pornography industry. The magazine, particularly its signature centerfold, the Playmate of the Month, has had to adapt accordingly. In this visual analysis, I review 65 years of Playboy centerfolds to consider how their bodies—physical characteristics, positions, contexts, and explicitness—have changed, and how this reflects the broader social change to which they are subject. I find that, overall, very little changes over the years, with two notable exceptions: increased visibility of the montes pubis and the slow decreasing in the amount of pubic hair the models have, and the brief time period in which the magazine attempted to remove nudity altogether. My results show that the magazine appears to place more value on staying true to the Playboy image than to adapting to a new market and has continued to be a recognized symbol of gender and sexuality even in light of decreasing readership and publication.

Buying local: This paper's main finding is that these justifications fail to provide a strong positive ethical reason for consumers in general to adopt the practice

Should You Buy Local? Carson Young. Journal of Business Ethics, Jan 3 2021. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-020-04701-3

Abstract: Buying local is a prominent form of ethical consumption. We commonly assume that products that are local are in some respect ethically superior to ones that are not. This article contributes to research on local food by scrutinizing this assumption in light of some central values of the locavore movement. It identifies four central ethical causes from prior literature on locavorism: protecting the environment, promoting community, promoting small business, and contributing to the prosperity of one’s local economy. It then analyzes whether the contribution of buying local to these causes can justify the general perception that buying local is a good way to be an ethical consumer. Its main finding is that these justifications fail to provide a strong positive ethical reason for consumers in general to adopt the practice of buying local.

On one hand, an informed citizenry is allegedly necessary for a democracy to flourish; on the other hand, the most knowledgeable and passionate voters are also the most likely to think in corrupted, biased ways

Are Smarter Voters Better Voters? Michael Hannon. PhilPapers, Jan 2021. https://philpapers.org/rec/HANASV

Abstract: It is widely believed that democracies require knowledgeable citizens to function well. But the most politically knowledgeable individuals also tend to be the most partisan and the strength of partisan identity tends to corrupt political thinking. This creates a conundrum. On one hand, an informed citizenry is allegedly necessary for a democracy to flourish. On the other hand, the most knowledgeable and passionate voters are also the most likely to think in corrupted, biased ways. What to do? This paper examines this tension and draws out several lessons. First, it is not obvious that more knowledgeable voters will make better political decisions. Second, worries about voter ignorance may be misguided because partisans tend to become more dogmatic when they acquire more information. Third, ‘epistocratic’ solutions that emphasize voter knowledge are troubling, in part, because they increase the political power of the most dogmatic and biased individuals. Fourth, I suggest that solutions to citizen incompetence should focus less on voter knowledge and more on the intellectual virtue of objectivity. Unfortunately, a likely way to foster political objectivity is by encouraging political apathy.

Keywords: political knowledge  political ignorance  motivated reasoning  epistocracy  objectivity  partisan bias

The Primacy of Morality in Impression Development: Sociability (e.g., friendliness & likeability) or competence are less important than morality (e.g., honesty & trustworthiness) in our valuations of persons or groups

The Primacy of Morality in Impression Development: Theory, Research, and Future Directions. Marco Brambilla et al. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 64, Jan 2021. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348190223

Rolf Degen's take: https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1347782969738539009

Abstract: Over the past few decades, two-factor models of social cognition have emerged as a dominant framework for understanding impression development. These models suggest that two dimensions-warmth and competence-are key in shaping our cognitive, emotional, and behavioral reactions toward social targets. More recently, research has jettisoned the warmth dimension, distinguishing instead between sociability (e.g., friendliness and likeability) and morality (e.g., honesty and trustworthiness) and showing that morality is far more important than sociability (and competence) in predicting the evaluations we make of individuals and groups. Presenting research from our laboratories, we show that moral categories are central at all stages of impression development, from implicit assumptions, to information gathering and to final evaluations. Moreover, moral trait information has a dominant role in predicting people's behavioral reactions toward social targets. We also show that morality dominates impression development, because it is closely linked to the essential judgment of whether another party's intentions are beneficial or harmful. Thus, our research informs a new framework for understanding person and group perception: the Moral Primacy Model (MPM) of impression development. We conclude by discussing how the MPM relates to classic and emerging models of social cognition and by outlining a trajectory for future research.

The overconfidence transmission effect persisted over time & task domains, elevating overconfidence even days after initial exposure; may be in part responsible for why local confidence norms emerge in groups/teams/organizations

Cheng, J. T., Anderson, C., Tenney, E. R., Brion, S., Moore, D. A., & Logg, J. M. (2021). The social transmission of overconfidence. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(1), 157–186. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000787

Abstract: We propose and test the overconfidence transmission hypothesis, which predicts that individuals calibrate their self-assessments in response to the confidence others display in their social group. Six studies that deploy a mix of correlational and experimental methods support this hypothesis. Evidence indicates that individuals randomly assigned to collaborate in laboratory dyads converged on levels of overconfidence about their own performance rankings. In a controlled experimental context, observing overconfident peers causally increased an individual’s degree of bias. The transmission effect persisted over time and across task domains, elevating overconfidence even days after initial exposure. In addition, overconfidence spread across indirect social ties (person to person to person), and transmission operated outside of reported awareness. However, individuals showed a selective in-group bias; overconfidence was acquired only when displayed by a member of one’s in-group (and not out-group), consistent with theoretical notions of selective learning bias. Combined, these results advance understanding of the social factors that underlie interindividual differences in overconfidence and suggest that social transmission processes may be in part responsible for why local confidence norms emerge in groups, teams, and organizations.