In an experiment, people who were paid in chocolates for choosing to listen to unpleasant noises „overearned“ by 6.48 chocolates, on average: They earned 10.74 but ate just 4.26 (they weren´t allowed to take any home), revealing a persistent tendency to mindlessly accumulate unneeded rewards, says a team led by Christopher K. Hsee of the University of Chicago.
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The researchers compare overearning to overeating: In the past, people earned so little that they were driven to earn as much as possible, but today, productivity advancements enable many to overearn, a behavior whose negatives include forgoing the pleasures of leisure and family time.
[Source: Picture – psychologytoday]