Scarcity in numbers

If there is limited availability of something, we assume it is more valuable, and we want it even more.

Worchel, Lee, & Adewole (1975): "The cookie experiment"
Worchel, Lee, & Adewole (1975): “The cookie experiment”

In an experiment by Worchel, Lee and Adewole, ten cookies were put in one jar and two of the same cookies in another jar. The cookies from the two-cookie jar received higher ratings—even though the cookies were exactly the same!

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