Rational Non-addictive Eating: Cycles, Overweightness, and Underweightness

Amnon Levy

Economics Working Papers from School of Economics, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia

Abstract: Although a deviation from the physiologically optimal weight increases the probability of dying, the steady state for a lifetime expected-utility maximiser is a state of overweightness. However, even a small initial deviation from this rationally stationary weight is followed by explosive oscillations. These oscillations might lead to severe and chronic underweightness in a late stage of life. In the presence of socio-cultural norms of appearance, the rationally stationary weight of fat people is lower than otherwise and the rationally stationary weight of lean people is greater than otherwise.

Keywords: Rational eating; cycles (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2000
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-mic
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