Dear Undercover Economist: The very best letters from the Dear Economist column 01 Edition

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Are there tangible benefits in flossing? Is it wrong to fake orgasms? What does the perfect online dating ad look like? Should we bother doing the ironing? Is it really impossible to buy the perfect Christmas gift? (Other than this book, of course.) Economists might not be the first people you would think of to give you advice on such diverse areas as parenting, the intricacies of etiquette or the dark arts of seduction. But for years bestselling author Tim Harford has been doing just that: answering the most challenging questions in his brilliant column, where he uses the tools of economics to give practical advice about everyday dilemmas, conundrums and concerns. From family rows and the stock market to buying socks or speed dating, you'll find within these pages a witty - and of course rational - explanation for almost everything you ever wanted to know about life. About The Author Tim Harford is a member of the FINANCIAL TIMES editorial board. His column, ???The Undercover Economist???, which reveals the economic ideas behind everyday experiences, is published in the FINANCIAL TIMES and SLATE. He is also the only economist in the world to run a problem page, ???Dear Economist???, in which FINANCIAL TIMES readers??? personal problems are answered tongue-in-cheek with the latest economic theory. His first book, THE UNDERCOVER ECONOMIST, has sold 600,000 copies worldwide in over twenty languages He presented the BBC television series TRUST ME, I???M AN ECONOMIST and now presents the BBC radio series MORE OR LESS. He has written for ESQUIRE, FORBES, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, WIRED, the WASHINGTON POST and the NEW YORK TIMES. He won the 2006 Bastiat Prize for economic journalism. Before becoming a writer, Tim worked for Shell, the World Bank and asa tutor at Oxford University, from where he earned an MPhil in economics in 1998. He now lives in London with his wife and two daughters. www.timharford.com