Diderot effect
AI summary of the linked articleThe Diderot effect is a phenomenon in which acquiring a new possession sparks a spiral of consumption that leads to still more purchases, often causing overspending and accumulation beyond what one needs. The term was coined by anthropologist Grant McCracken in 1986 and is named after the French philosopher Denis Diderot, who described it in his 1769 essay "Regrets on Parting with My Old Dressing Gown." In that essay, Diderot describes how a gift of a scarlet dressing gown led him to replace his other possessions, eventually plunging him into debt. |
1 comment macbudkowski.ethSubmitter Not that relevant to crypto, but I felt this effect intensely last week when we decided to streamline our branding. Once we made one element of our product look better, I felt like we needed to improve all the others because they seemed to look bad in comparison. |