Mementos and the Endowment Effect

Authors

Charlene K. Chu, Chapman UniversityFollow
Suzanne B. Shu, Cornell University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-12-2022

Abstract

This research provides evidence for a new moderator of the endowment effect: having a memento of the endowed object. Three studies adapting classic endowment effect paradigms and using a variety of endowment objects and mementos demonstrate that having a memento of an endowment increases willingness to trade the endowment and decreases selling prices for the endowment. We provide evidence that mementos attenuate the endowment effect regardless of whether the memento is a separate small gain when facing the loss of the endowment or a small part of the original endowment that is kept. Examining mementos in context of the endowment effect not only provides insight into the psychology underlying the reluctance to part with one's endowment but also other consumer disposition behaviors.

Comments

This article was originally published in Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, volume 36, issue 1, in 2023. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.2295

Recommended Citation

Chu, C. K., & Shu, S. B. (2022). Mementos and the endowment effect. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 36(1), e2295. https://doi.org/10.1002/bdm.2295

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.