Honey, It's Not My Fault - My Nucleus Accumbens Made Me Buy That HD TV

John Tierney, estwhile New York Times columnist (and occasional Reason contributor), has been promoted to science columnist. He launches his debut column in today's Science Times where he subjects himself to an MRI to look deep within his brain to find out why he is a spendthrift. It turns out that spending money makes him feel good. His new blog, TierneyLab links to a Carnegie-Mellon University survey that helps you determine if you're a tightwad or a spendthrift.

I've just taken the survey, but given my credit card debt, I think I already know which way it's going to come out. Damn my pleasure besotted nucleus accumbens!

Comments

[Patrick]

Off the editorial page and in the the C (or is it D?) section...

Is that really a promotion?

[Ron Bailey]

Patrick: Just ask any science correspondent--of course being a science columnist is a promotion! 😉

Anyway, Tierney actually told his bosses at the Times that he was tired of doing a twice weekly op/ed column and asked to switch to science reporting. I think he was doing a great job as an op/ed columnist, but commenting on op/ed ephemera pales in comparison to reporting and analyzing trends in science. His science column will appear twice monthly.

[Jim Anderson]

"Spendthrift" is okay, but "wastrel" is even better.

[Stevo Darkly]

Is it possible to be a "spermthrift"?

[Aresen]

My Nucleus Accumbens says 'yes'.

My credit card company says "Transaction Declined."

[Karen]

This is why I so love this site; Ron, you made my day simply by admitting you owe money to credit cards, just like I do. I have this image in my head of all Reason writers never making any mistakes in their lives. The fact that you admit to even a minor flaw -- and it is, in my opinion, extraordinarily minor -- makes me like you even more than I did before. (Same for all the other commenters on this thread. Thanks, guys!!)

[Travis]

im in ur ventral tegmental area stimulatin ur dopaminergic neuronz.

I suddenly hate myself.