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Having a rational mind does not mean having a rational life. There is nothing wrong with a person’s brain who, after purchasing a new pair of shoes that is too small, will keep the shoes – and the more the shoes cost, the longer they keep it. The rational thing to do would be to give them away on day one, but as humans we like to have things depreciate perceptually before discarding them. We’re just as strange when it comes to drugs and marriage.

We had a scare at the office the other day. A colleague got chest pains. We went to the local outpatient department (it was after 5), and a most amiable doctor in charge, when hearing our profession, stated: ”I have just two questions. What substances are you on and when last did you sleep?”. Fortunately the answer to both reflected the healthy choices my colleague had made (except for smoking).

Getting hooked on drugs is bad news. But it can also be a rational decision (which is why intelligence and drug use are not necessarily mutually exclusive). Let’s say you can’t get your morning cup of coffee. Your head aches, you’re grumpy and you can’t concentrate. You are an addict in withdrawal. If you sit this out, you will be free of your addiction in a few days. Instead you find that coffee no matter what. Is your decision irrational asks Tim Harford in his book The Logic of Life?

Imagine a young man who is thinking of trying a new drug. He knows that everybody who tries it loves it, at least at first. Then some users find their lives degenerate into an increasingly desperate and futile attempt to recapture the initial buzz, leading to the pain of cold turkey or the anguish of eternal, unfulfilling addiction. Others seem to enjoy the highs and remain quite content for the rest of their lives. He has no way of knowing into which category he will fall. Is it rational for him to ingest the drug?

Now, if you replace ‘drugs’ with ‘marriage’ and ‘quitting’ with ‘divorce’ in the above paragraph, it reads like this:

Imagine a young man who is thinking of trying marriage. He knows that everybody who tries it loves it, at least at first. Then some users find their lives degenerate into an increasingly desperate and futile attempt to recapture the initial buzz, leading to the pain of divorce or the anguish of eternal, unfulfilling marriage. Others seem to enjoy the highs and remain quite content for the rest of their lives. He has no way of knowing into which category he will fall. Is it rational for him to get married?

The drug user, newlywed or coffee addict may be making a mistake, but they think that on balance the decision will pay off. This is what addicts do. Or coffee drinkers. Or newlyweds. Which one you become probably depends on genetics, socioeconomics and peer pressure, but at the end of the day, it’s all the same wiring.

This is not an argument in support of the ‘economic man’ model. I have no idea why my wife spent an enormous amount of money on a porcelain cat, when we clearly needed a spindryer. Although I would not tell her directly, I could debate the rational component of this decision. But what it does point out quite clearly is that a small vice and an enormous vice is just a matter of degree.

Reference: Tim Harford. The logic of life. Little Brown, 2008.

About the author
Sid is the strategic director of BEHP, a full service agency based in Cape Town. He writes this article approaching his first wedding anniversary. He is not on drugs, although he may give that impression.