Psychological

Sunk Cost Fallacy

What it is

Encouraging continued investment by emphasizing what has already been spent.

How it works

People are reluctant to abandon something they have invested time, money, or effort into, even when continuing is irrational. Persuaders exploit this by reminding targets of their past investment to keep them committed.

Real-world examples

  • •"You've already put in six months, don't quit now" at a bad job.
  • •Continuing to watch a terrible movie because you paid for the ticket.
  • •Staying in a failing business partnership because of the initial capital invested.

Ethical guidelines

  • ●Help people make forward-looking decisions, not backward-looking ones.
  • ●Do not guilt people into continuing based solely on past investment.
  • ●Frame choices in terms of future value, not sunk costs.

How to defend against it

  • ►Ask: "If I were starting fresh today, would I make this choice?"
  • ►Accept that past costs are gone regardless of your next decision.
  • ►Focus on future costs and benefits, not what has already been spent.

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