Rory Sutherland Rory Sutherland

Louis XIV would envy your life

Alamy 
issue 27 April 2024

Some things in life acquire an outsize popularity which defies all common sense. The outlandish appeal of such things cannot be explained except by reference to René Girard’s theory of mimetic desire – the idea that there are many things we value not for their intrinsic utility and enjoyment but because we see that other people want them.

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