Contents -- Chapter One: Introduction: Plutocracy and Mob Rule -- PART I: THE PSYCHOLOGY AND ECONOMICS OF MOTIVATION -- Chapter Two: Between Strain and Boredom -- Arousal -- Personality -- Arousal Reduction -- Chapter Three: The Pursuit of Novelty -- Physical Stimulation -- Mental Stimulation -- Some of the Evidence -- Threat -- Measurement -- Attention -- Redundancy -- Signs and Supersigns -- Uncertainty -- Chapter Four: Comfort Versus Pleasure -- The Seduction of Pleasure -- The Seduction of Comfort -- Free Choice Between Comfort and Pleasure -- Comfort and Stimulation -- Chapter Five: Enter Economics -- Self-Sufficiency -- Mutual Stimulation -- Market Goods and Services -- External Benefits and External Nuisances -- Non-Market Goods and Services -- Work as Self-Stimulation -- The Importance of the Economic Product -- Chapter Six: Necessities and Comforts -- Necessities and Luxuries -- Defensive and Creative Products -- Some of the Comforts -- The Comfort of Belonging -- The Comfort of Being Useful -- The Comfort of Sticking to Our Habits -- What it Means to Become Spoiled -- Chapter Seven: Income and Happiness -- "Rankhappiness" -- Whatever Made Us Believe Income Yields Happiness? -- PART II: THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE -- Chapter Eight: Is Our Life Too Good? -- The Economy of Effort -- The Economy of Time -- The Purchase of Health -- The Economy of Care and Bother -- Chapter Nine: Is Our Life Too Dull? -- Food -- Vacations -- Company -- A Conflict -- Chapter Ten: Our Puritan Ghost -- The Moral Superiority of Production and Money-Making -- The Neglect of Housekeeping -- Puritan Intolerance -- Chapter Eleven: Our Disdain for Culture -- The Meaning of Culture -- The Puritan Attitude Toward Culture -- Production Skills Versus Consumption Skills -- The Rational Bias Against Culture -- Skilled Versus Unskilled Stimulus Enjoyment.

The Art of Conversation -- What Do You Know? -- Chapter Twelve: What's Wrong with Mass Production? -- The Monotony of Products -- The Banalization of Art -- Chapter Thirteen: What's Wrong with Specialization? -- The Decline of the Generalist -- Producers' Choice -- Artists' Choice -- Decorating -- Tourism -- Chapter Fourteen: The End of Sexism and Revival of the Generalist? -- Do It Yourself -- Women's Liberation -- Where Do We Stand? -- Appendix: Culture Is a Good Thing -- Notes -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z.