We investigate the relationship between visual appeal and the time people devote to a video/computer game. The average American teenager spends 2.6% of their waking hours playing, while for adults this figure is 2.7%. Using the American Add Health Study, we show that older adults who look better have more close friends. Undoubtedly, play is very expensive for them, and therefore they do less of it. Attractive youth are less likely to engage in gaming, while unattractive youth who play spend more time each week on it than other gamers. Attractive adults are also less likely to spend any time playing than others; and if they do, they spend less time on it than less attractive adults. Using the longitudinal nature of the Engeza Health Study, we find supporting evidence that this relationship is causal in older adults: good looks reduce playing time, not the other way around.
That’s according to a new NBER working paper on
.
Source link