1. Thinking about scarcity Anuj Shah Sendhil Mullainathan Eldar Shafir SJDM 2014

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3. The fabric of thoughts bed rest tired dream wake snooze blanket doze slumber awake SLEEP snore nap lady male strong woman beard handsome muscle doze father uncle MAN person son

4. Study 1: Seeing what isn’t there pay rent cash dollar coin utilities grocery gas expense loan MONEY bills phone lady male strong woman beard handsome muscle doze father uncle MAN person son N = 125

5. Top of mind When money is scarce… Many experiences trigger thoughts of money. When money is introduced into an experience, it draws attention.

6. A clipart model of scarcity $

7. $

8. Old hat, new domain? Aarts et al. (2001)Piech et al. (2010)Shyamalan (1999) *Spoiler Alert

9. What’s on your mind?

10. Three questions Do the poor spontaneously think about money? Are these thoughts hard to suppress? Do these thoughts interfere with how we enjoy experiences?

11. Study 2: A visit to the doctor Imagine that you have been feeling sick lately and finally decide to go see a doctor about it…The doctor explains that you have a serious condition that requires immediate attention. The good news, however, is…you are virtually guaranteed to make a full recovery...The doctor writes several prescriptions…You will also need to make several appointments… What would be on your mind or how would you feel as you hear this news… What are three things you would think about or feel? “wife son coworker” “scared afraid worried” “relief hope joy” “cost family work”

12. Study 2: A visit to the doctor Proportion mentioning money-related thoughts N = 198

13. Study 3: Distracted driving Try not to think about how much you drive each month. Try not to think about how much you spend on driving each month.

14. Study 3: Distracted driving N = 568

15. Study 4: Hedonic interference

16. N = 297

17. Study 4b: Payment preference Proportion preferring to pay as they go N = 103

18. Study 4c: Payment preference Imagine that you have booked a short cruise. As you read over the materials for the cruise, you see that the trip will feature 10 meals, which are priced at $20 each, for a total of $200. How would you prefer to pay for the meals? You will definitely eat all 10 meals. I would pay the $200 up front as soon as I get onto the cruise ship. I would pay $20 per meal at the end of each. N = 344

19. Where does this lead us? Thoughts about money (or scarce resources) may be easily triggered and might interfere with everyday experiences. Mani, Mullainathan, Shafir & Zhao (2013)

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