Oil prices have a big impact on the economy, but the relationship is complex. Some experts say that oil price increases hurt the economy, while others argue that only certain types of increases matter. Recent data shows that oil price changes affect GDP growth in a nonlinear way, with increases being more important than decreases. To better understand this, researchers have developed a method to filter out short-term fluctuations in oil prices and focus on significant increases. This helps to see the true effect of oil price changes on the economy.