- The Smarter Brain
- Posts
- Why Do People Want Things More When They Are Difficult to Get?
Why Do People Want Things More When They Are Difficult to Get?
The psychology of scarcity, urgency, exclusivity, and the fear of missing out
Welcome to The Smarter Brain, a curation of thought-provoking ideas and actionable reads to help you build better habits and become more productive.
Happy reading - See you on Wednesday!
Cheers,
The Smarter Brain Team
Estimated Reading Time: 2 mins
3 Ideas for Better Habits
The Power of Scarcity
Robert Cialdini is a psychologist known for his research and writing on persuasion and influence.
“Opportunities seem more valuable to us when their availability is limited.”
The Cost of Waiting
Seneca was a Roman Stoic philosopher.
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.”
Choosing Under Pressure
Barry Schwartz is a psychologist whose work examines choice, decision-making, and satisfaction.
“Learning to choose is hard. Learning to choose well is harder.”
AI-Fuelled Messaging System for Time-Crunched Entrepreneurs
Bad messaging KILLS good products! People pay to solve painful problems - the bigger and more painful the problem, the more someone will pay to solve it. If your solution solves a real problem and people aren’t buying yet… then you haven’t communicated WHY they should WANT it.
Fix your messaging (*without* overhauling your product).
Productivity Tools and Resources
Scarcity Makes Everything Desirable
This article explains how scarcity can intensify the value of something we want. When an obstacle prevents us from achieving a goal, our attention can become more focused on that goal, making it feel even more important.
Why You Should Try to Be a Little More Scarce
This article discusses how limited availability can increase perceived value in social and professional situations. It explores why people may find opportunities and individuals more appealing when access to them is less certain.
The Resale Value of Rarity
StockX - Lets users explore sneakers and streetwear through marketplace prices and sales data. It illustrates how limited supply, demand, and resale expectations can influence perceived value.
The Appeal of Hard-to-Find Items
eBay - Provides access to collectibles, discontinued products, and secondhand goods. Buyers can see how competition and limited availability influence market prices.
What We're Reading
Harvard Business Review - Explores marketing, decision-making, customer behavior, and competitive positioning.
Behavioral Scientist - Covers psychological research on judgment, social behavior, incentives, and the way people respond to their environment.
Brain Food
Today I Learned: The cookies presented as scarce were rated more favorably than those presented as abundant in relevant experimental conditions. The researchers also explored how the circumstances creating scarcity affected the results. (Source)
Science: People often weigh potential losses differently from equivalent gains. This idea is associated with loss aversion, a key concept in prospect theory developed by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. (Source)
Have a productive rest of your week,
The Smarter Brain Team
Resource Spotlight
The Psychology of Scarcity and Desire
Monthly dispatches exploring the psychology behind why we crave what we can't easily have. Discover how scarcity, exclusivity, and the thrill of the chase shape our desires, influence our decisions, and make unavailable people or things seem more valuable than they really are.
The Scarcity Principle: Why Less Feels Like More
Insights into behavioral science and the hidden forces that drive human choices. Explore how limited availability, urgency, and fear of missing out influence everything from impulse purchases to major life decisions-and why the possibility of losing an opportunity can make it suddenly irresistible.
The Psychology of Wanting What We Can't Have
Monthly explorations of the mind's fascinating relationship with desire, restriction, and temptation. Unpack the psychological mechanisms behind FOMO, reactance, and our tendency to fixate on the unattainable. Discover why obstacles can intensify our attraction to something and how the mind often confuses difficulty with value.
(Everything in the section above is an ad, book yours here)
How would you rate this newsletter? |
Partner with The Smarter Brain and reach 8,000 professionals' inboxes. Contact us to learn more.
If you enjoy The Smarter Brain, we would really appreciate you spreading the word by sharing the sign up link to a colleague or friend. Thank you!
Collaborate with The Smarter Brain