IKEA Effect

We value things more when we built them ourselves. Norton, Mochon & Ariely found people valued their own (often worse) furniture and origami well above identical things made by others. In an organization: the team that built the feature is the last to see it should go.

Source: "The IKEA effect: When labor leads to love" (2012).

See also: Sunk Cost Fallacy, Value Infusion. From How do organizations throw (AI) stuff away?

Mentioned in

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# Oct 23, 2026
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