Have you ever looked at a slightly crooked, self-assembled coffee table and felt a wave of profound pride? If so, you have experienced the IKEA effect. This psychological phenomenon explains why we place a disproportionately high value on products we helped create, regardless of the end result’s objective quality.
The Origin
Although it sounds corporate, the IKEA effect is a lab-born psychological term. The term was officially coined in a 2011 study by researchers Michael I. Norton, Daniel Mochon, and Dan Ariely. Curious about how labor impacts our perception of value, they conducted experiments where participants built origami, assembled LEGO sets, or constructed IKEA furniture. Turned out, participants consistently valued their own amateur creations just as much as (and sometimes more than) identical products built by experts.
Why We Fall For It
Like many cognitive biases, this particular effect is not really about IKEA or labor itself, but a deep, fundamental human need.
- The pride of creation. Completing a task boosts our self-esteem. After we put together a bookshelf, we don’t just see a bookshelf; we see proof of our own competence.
- Sense of ownership. Pouring our own energy into an object can alter our relationship with it. Many creators experience the feeling of viewing their works as kids. The investment of creative effort transforms the outcome into an extension of themselves.
- We need to justify the cognitive and physical effort. And the most effective way is to percieve an inflation the object’s worth to match our investment.
Final Note: the nuances
While it sounds perfectly reasonable and universally applicable, this effect comes with two major caveats. First, the effect applies to completion. If a project is too difficult and we fail to finish it, the psychological bond breaks, and our affection for the object plummets, not soars. Second, the effect induces a cognitive bias where we falsely assume that others share our high opinion of our creation.
*What is Daily Insight? An ongoing series of quick, bite-sized brain snacks. Every week, there are three research-based factual reports and three research-informed reflective notes.
