Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion · chapter 7 · id influence-c7-07-scarcity-is-most-powerful-when

“Scarcity is most powerful when it results from social demand (competition) rather than accident -- items scarce because others want them are valued more than items scarce due to supply errors.”

needs contextconfidence: medium⚠ extracted by pipeline, re-audit pending

Receipts

Worchel, Lee & Adewole (1975), Effects of Supply and Demand, JPSP 32(5)DOI registry: valid

Cookies scarce due to social demand were rated as more desirable than cookies scarce due to accidental supply reduction.

Worchel, Lee & Adewole (1975), Effects of Supply and Demand on Ratings of Object Value, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 32(5)DOI registry: valid

Cookies that became scarce due to social demand (high demand from others) were rated as more desirable than cookies that became scarce due to accident, which were in turn rated higher than cookies that remained abundant.

This claim is a stable, citable object. If you can falsify a verdict, tell us — corrections are loud here.