What Even Is Luxury?

What does "luxury" actually mean? When a "luxury" apartment has water damage, is it still luxury? In this episode, we unravel the squishy, contradictory concept of luxury goods. We explore Thorstein Veblen's century-old theory of conspicuous consumption, where high prices actually increase demand, and examine modern neuroscience showing that price tags can literally rewire your brain's pleasure centers. We discuss how luxury is less about materials and more about storytelling, why the Comité Colbert in France tries (and fails) to define it, and what happens when the narrative collapses. Is luxury a promise, a placebo, or a collective hallucination? And if the pleasure is real but the belief is false, can you trust your own enjoyment?