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IKEA effect 0:56
A 56-second explainer of IKEA effect, narrated over the same demo you can try yourself.
Try the interactive IKEA effect demo
What this video covers
The IKEA effect is the way putting your own effort into something makes you value it more - often more than an identical thing you didn't build. The work you invest gets folded into how good the result feels, so a wobbly shelf you assembled can feel worth more to you than a flawless one bought ready-made.
The one you built a moment ago feels worth more than the identical ready-made version, doesn't it? It isn't better - you just put yourself into it, and that effort got counted as value. That's the IKEA effect, and it's why a little well-placed customisation or set-up makes people prize, and stick with, what they helped create.
