The Book of Numbers

1. Economics is fundamentally about sex and progeny.

Sex (or more Darwinistically speaking, progeny) is what gets men out of bed in the morning, off to school, into rush hour, off to the office, off to the factory, off to night school, off to war, or off to the lab to make money so that they might someday attract girls.

Incentives drive production. The vast economic activity we see around us, from buildings to infrastructure, is driven by human labor. This labor isn't random; it's motivated. The primary motivator, according to the author, is sex, or more accurately, the desire to attract a mate and produce offspring. This drive compels men to work, innovate, and accumulate resources.

Evolutionary roles. Nature has assigned specific roles to men and women to ensure the survival and thriving of the human race. Men are given the physical strength, aggression, and mass to provide for and protect their women and children. Women have the ability to birth children and the breasts to feed them.

Mismatched sex drives. Men have sex drives estimated to be nine times that of women, while women do not. This lopsidedness prevents everybody from breeding kids they can’t afford because if women had the same sex drives as men the human race would out-breed its food supply in a week.

2. Men are incentivized to build society for sex.

If there was no sex, if there were no women, if there was no female youth and beauty, men would still be living in caves, only mustering their resources to perhaps create beer and poker to bide the time.

The original economic transaction. The author argues that the foundation of the economy is the exchange of sex for resources. Men build and produce, and women provide sex and the continuation of the genetic line. This transaction, though perhaps unacknowledged, is the driving force behind much of human endeavor.

Men as dominant producers. Men are genetically compelled to be the primary engine of economic growth, industry, and innovation. This isn't to diminish the contributions of women, but to highlight the biological imperative that drives men to create and accumulate.

The price of sex. For every ounce of production, wealth, and riches men have, there is an equal and opposite price men must pay. For every ear of corn grown, there was an hour of time tilling the fields. For every car welded, a bead of sweat from the welder. Down to every penny of GDP there is a specific caloric expenditure of labor.

3. Feminism, tech, and welfare have changed the game.

Feminism, technology, capitalism, and government policy have upended traditional male and female roles, completely obsoleting them in some cases.

Shifting gender roles. Traditional gender roles have been significantly altered by feminism, technology, capitalism, and government policy. Technology and capitalism have reduced the need for physical strength in labor, opening up the market to women. Feminism has encouraged these advancements, making it legally and socially acceptable for women to work and own property.

The welfare state. Government policy, particularly in the first world, has replaced men as the ultimate provider for women and children with the welfare state. This has further eroded traditional gender roles and created new dynamics in relationships.

Biological programming persists. Despite these changes, men are still genetically compelled to be the primary engine of economic growth, industry, and innovation. The fundamental drive for sex and progeny remains a powerful force.

4. The odds of a happy marriage are statistically low.

When you pursue a woman, you get a .00076283% CHANCE of success.

Defining success. The author defines "success" as a traditional marriage where both spouses are happily married. This could be in the form of a traditional marriage, cohabitation, or any form of committed relationship. But to be “successful” according to this study you must be committed to a relationship and happy in it.

Statistical realities. The author presents a sobering statistical analysis of the chances of achieving a happy marriage. The model considers factors such as the percentage of marriageable women, the percentage of women willing to marry an average man, and the percentage chance that the marriage will be a happy one.

The role of action. While the statistics are dire, they are not futile in that men do not throw themselves at the mercy of these statistics, casting fate to the wind, sitting at home with their thumbs up their asses. Men have agency. They have control. They can take action to improve their chances.

5. Explicit, opportunity, and intangible costs are high.

“Costs” in this study will be defined as ALL resources men use in the pursuit of women.

Explicit costs. These are the actual financial expenses men incur in their pursuit of women, including dates, dinners, dating services, wedding rings, weddings, and divorce settlements. The author estimates that the average man can expect to pay $260,785 in explicit cash expenses.

Opportunity costs. These are the opportunities men forgo by investing time and money in the pursuit of women. The author calculates that if the $260,000 spent chasing women were invested in the S&P 500, it could grow to $9.6 million over a lifetime.

Intangible costs. These are the undefinable costs men pay in their pursuit of women, including mental pain, anguish, stress, frustration, heartache, and confusion. These costs are often downplayed but can have a significant impact on a man's well-being.

6. The ROI of pursuing women is near zero.

Thus the real ROI of the pursuit of women is: 0/∞= 0%.

The economic perspective. From an economic perspective, the author argues that the ROI of pursuing women is near zero. The chances of achieving a happy marriage are low, while the costs are high, making it a poor investment of time, money, and energy.

The gamble of love. The author likens the pursuit of women to a gamble, with the odds of success being similar to winning the lottery. He advises men to play this lottery wisely, ensuring they don't destroy their lives in the process.

Alternative measures of ROI. The author revisits some of the other numbers we calculated along the way so that you might take the rose-colored glasses off your face and see the real world for what it is. A metaphorical slap across the face that wakes you up to the realities about pursuing modern day women.

7. A good woman is priceless, but rare.

And though this study may sound to have a pessimistic tone towards women, the numbers we just went through proves just how valuable a good woman is in today’s world.

The value of a good woman. Despite the pessimistic tone, the author acknowledges that good women do exist and are incredibly valuable. He argues that if you're lucky enough to find one, you should appreciate her as she's technically infinitely-valuable.

The lottery ticket. The true economic nature of the pursuit of women is more of a gamble than it is an investment. A gamble whose statistics of which are not too unlike winning the lottery.

Playing the lottery wisely. It's that if you're going to pursue women you do so intelligently and with the full knowledge it is likely you still won't succeed. And in playing this lottery wisely you will ensure you don't pay the horrific costs most men do, while still standing the outside chance you might find one of those “infinitely-valuable” women.

8. Social media and feminism worsen the ROI.

It's the fact you are competing against this digital synthetic superman who will likely keep women off the market well past the age of 35, to the point they'll be desperately freezing their eggs.

The cult of feminism. Feminism has gone from a movement about equality to that of a socialist cult, the two main pillars of which are victimhood politics and having women replace men with themselves as their sole point and purpose in life.

Social media's impact. Social media has created a substitute good for real-world relationships, offering women a synthetic superman who can satiate their every want and desire without the need for commitment.

The synthetic superman. If a girl wants attention, she doesn't have to dress up, look cute, or go out in public. She just posts “I'm feeling so ugly today” on Instagram and a flood of “OHHHH NOO, YOU'RE SO BEAAUUUTIFUL!!!!” messages will come from the THOUSANDS of simps following her.

9. Acknowledge reality and align expectations.

You need to realize that just because a girl may live 500 miles away, doesn't mean she isn't dateable or marriage material.

The importance of realism. It is absolutely necessary for the sake of your own mental health that you acknowledge and realize the statistical reality of the women before you.

The new normal. Men need to accept this reality. Men need to adapt to this new normal. Not hope and dream that someday they will win the “Quality Woman Lottery.” Because if they don't, they will doom themselves to a life of misery.

You are not insane. What you are experiencing today is not normal, is not acceptable, and that voice you hear in the back of your head saying “something's wrong” is 100% right.

10. Leave a line in the water and pursue excellence.

Though women were the fuel that historically prompted men to achieve their best, men have to pursue excellence whether there is a muse invigorating them to do so or not

Casting a wide net. If you are a man who is serious about marriage (or finding a quality girl), you can simply declare your intentions online, set a fine, but wide net, and the internet will do the work for you.

Pursue excellence. Though women were the fuel that historically prompted men to achieve their best, men have to pursue excellence whether there is a muse invigorating them to do so or not.

The legacy of excellence. It's that he didn't squander his life and he made it count. His life was not the typical one that was no materially different than the tens of billions of men who died before him.

Last updated: May 2, 2025