Want to know the state of the economy? Look in your boyfriend's underwear drawer: therein lies a major clue. If it sounds crazy to you, don't worry, it sounds a little batty to me, too. But economists say that the MUI (Men's Underwear Index) is significant. And even Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan believes this theory.

According to economists, during tough financial times, men will slow down their purchase of underwear. “It's like trying to drive your car an extra 10,000 miles,” says Marshal Cohen. Men's underwear purchases are usually stable because they’re a necessity, so when there's a dip in buying (or when you notice his tighty whiteys have become saggy raggies), this means that he's skimping, even on necessities.

When the recession took hold, research firm Mintel saw the growth in men’s underwear slow down; they expect sales to fall 2.3 percent this year. They predict that next year, however, sales will fall only by .5 percent. Target spokeswoman Jana O'Leary agrees that things are looking up, and that over the past two months even “multipair packs are moving.” Hooray!

This fascinates me for a couple reasons. First of all, according to Mintel, men buy an average of 3.4 pairs of underwear a year. (Say what?! I bet women buy more pairs than that in a month!) But mostly, I think it's an intriguing clue into the difference in men and women's psychological ways of handling the recession. Women, we're told, spend more on lipstick during a recession. Men? They just let their underwear fade and get saggy.

So what does it mean that during a recession, some women step up the unnecessary purchases while men step down the necessary ones! What's your theory?