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There are studies that indicate that runners wearing $100+ shoes are much more prone to injury than runners wearing sub-$50 shoes. In fact, what's initially "comfortable" insulates our feet from important physical signals, leading to a lot of physical pain. (read the recent, excellent book "Born To Run" if you find this interesting)

My point is that not thinking about decisions "makes you a loser", and equating price with quality is often a mistake.



And since when did homo sapiens evolve to need a $600 matress? Folks around the world sleep on a futon, or the floor. Do they all get terrible sleep? Or do they adapt.


...or do they actually, in many circumstances, thrive because we've evolved to live under "thrifty" pre-industrial conditions? In the book I referenced (Born To Run), the author describes an extremely isolated Mexican tribe where 40-50 year old men regularly run 50-mile plus races in bare feet, in good part, many believe, because they've shunned shoes. I wouldn't be surprised if we come to the same conclusion about mattresses.

Again, I'm just throwing this in because I think it's best to think flexibly. I also often argue that it makes perfect sense to splurge on a $60 massage or a $75 per person meal every now and then because memorable experiences are surprisingly valuable and more permanent (in one's mind) than they might appear to the impulsively thrifty consumer.




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