Inspired by Valentine’s Day “Mine” is a short story by sportswriter Patrick Dorsey about the steps that lead, or don’t lead, to a new relationship. Featured in this story are the Behavioral Economic principles of virtual ownership and the self-fulfilling prophesy.
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Hi, I’m Dan Ariely. I do research in behavioral economics and try to describe it in plain language. These findings have enriched my life, and my hope is that they will do the same for you.
The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves
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The Upside of Irrationality, explores some positive and some negative ways that irrationality plays out in our lives.
When we make decisions we think we're in control. But are we?
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Confessions of a Dog Lover
My mother didn’t like cats. I grew up in a family that only kept dog pets. Mom said cats were sneaky and killed small birds. As a result, I didn’t like cats. Cats seemed aloof and not particularly friendly. Dogs would jump, run, lick my hand, and wag their tails but cats seemed cold and sinister. I was definitely a dog person and spent my early adulthood as such.
Years later in my forties, I was visiting a friend. He and his wife had two cats. One was a mature tom and the other a five month old female. The female was a five pound, jet black, American short hair queen with big green eyes. I remarked how cute she was and my friend nodded. Later that afternoon as I was leaving, he approached me with the little female in his hands and stuffed her in my jacket. He told me he was going to get rid of her because he didn’t want two cats. If I didn’t take her, she would be destroyed. I looked down at those big frightened eyes thinking I couldn’t let anyone hurt such a beautiful animal. I decided to find her a better situation.
At home, my wife asked what we were going to do with the cat. We decided to find her a home and we named her Samantha. My wife and I had both been married previously and don’t have any children between us. Samantha became our child.
Immediately, Samantha destroyed all my cat stereotypes. She was a loving animal. She would cling to me and hug me with her paws. She was neat and always smelled fresh and clean. The first day I brought her home, I bought some cat litter and put it in the basement. I took her down and put her paws in it. After that, she knew right where to go. This little cat was the runt of her litter but what she lacked in size, she made up for in spunk. She wasn’t afraid of anything. She was curious and even got in the shower with me until the water started flowing. Boy did she get out of there fast.
At the time we got her, our business was failing and I was experiencing a lot of stress. It was a relief to come home to my wife and Samantha. Samantha did all kinds of things to cheer us up. When I lay on the rug watching television, Samantha would walk by and tickle my ear with her tail. She would get her toys out and play and fight with them. She always wanted to be right there with us. She was clever too. She discovered how to turn the television on by stepping on the cable box. It was common for us to return home and find Samantha sitting watching TV. She learned to express her feelings through body language. She couldn’t speak but she made herself understood. She developed an internal clock. She knew when it was time to get up and would wake us by jumping on us if we languished in bed too long. She knew when I was to arrive home from work and would be waiting at the door for me. I always looked forward to seeing her when I got home. She knew when it was time to eat and would sit in the middle of the kitchen floor until one of us fed her. Sometimes Samantha would join us in bed. She liked to lie between my arm and my side. Her little belly was so soft and warm against my arm. She was polite as well. If we were eating something she liked, she would sit patiently and wait for anything we might give her. She was never pushy unless we were eating tuna fish. She loved tuna and would meow for a bite. She also liked popcorn.
Samantha brightened our lives for twenty years before her kidneys failed. She was a sincere pleasure and a gift from God. My wife and I loved Samantha and I think she loved us. God’s message is love. I believe that if one of God’s creatures is capable of love, it has a soul and I believe Samantha will be in Heaven waiting for us.
Richard Provance
MAZAL TOV, IT LOOKS GREAT.
I CAN’T WAIT TO READ THE NEW BOOK.
@ richard provance
How touching! And original! You’re too cute! Right on?
That is a great story from Patrick