Do we value more what we get with a lot of effort?

Why is it that what is forbidden or what has the appearance of exclusivity exerts a great power of attraction?

I am going to tell you about an experiment carried out with children some years ago.

The procedure consisted of the following: two toys (robots, for example, that emitted sounds and flashing lights) were placed within sight of a baby, at a prudent distance. The arrival at the first robot was obstructed by a transparent acrylic barrier, which made it possible to see the toy, but made it difficult to touch it. Arrival at the second robot was not hindered in any way.

As irrational as it may seem, most of the babies went as fast as they could to the first robot, and tried to grab it by trying to get over the barrier.. The most striking thing was that the higher the barrier separating the babies from the toy, the faster they crawled and the more energy they invested in trying to touch the robot.

When the difficult becomes irresistible

Oddly enough, the babies showed a much stronger preference for toys that were difficult for them to reach.

This is just one example of a unique phenomenon that characterizes human beings and conditions their behavior right from the cradle: we react vehemently, putting up resistance to everything that hinders or limits our personal freedoms and decision-making capacity. personal freedoms and decision-making capacity. We like to be in control, or at least think we are.

The case of celebrities as something unattainable

Another good example is the case of celebrities.

The truth is that most famous actors and actresses are, on average, neither more beautiful nor more intelligent than the average person walking down the street. The most beautiful women, I know, and I can speak of this by the simple authority of being a man, do not appear in fashion magazines or star in television soap operas. On the contrary, I have seen them on public transport, in the neighborhood supermarket, and walking the dog in the square.

If we are desperate to ask for an autograph or to take a picture with the sportsman of the moment who happens to be sitting at the next table in the restaurant we went to for dinner on Saturday night, or if we have lustful romances in our imagination with the catwalk model of the moment it is, in large part, because we perceive them as one of a kind, and fundamentally unattainable.. Yes, just as the babies saw the toy robots behind the fence.

The forbidden attracts

The bible says, that at the time of creation itself, even Adam and Eve screwed up to their necks, biased (and blinded) by the possibility of accessing the inaccessible. The pair of lovebirds could eat from all the bushes that populated the lavish paradise, except from the forbidden fruit. The rule was simple, clear and forceful; it gave no room for further interpretation.

Well, of all the trees and apples available in the vastness of the divine meadow, which did they find most appetizing? Which one did they find most appetizing in the first place? Precisely the one that had been forbidden to them.

The same happens today with the pure versions of any director of the seventh art, without the cuts imposed by the film production company, what is commonly known as "extended version". The film that supposedly escapes the censorship that has been exercised on the filmmaker's original work is usually presented with a certain air of mystique and exclusivity, is sold separately on DVD, and is always much more desirable to the general public.

Self-censorship is a phenomenon that many groups and political parties use to draw attention to the message they wish to convey. they wish to convey.

Instead of seeking mass dissemination of their proposals, they try to sell the idea of censorship exercised by the authorities or the government of the day. "They want to shut us up" and "they don't want us to tell the truth" are supposedly characteristic anti-publicity phrases that exploit the typical human desire to obtain what is forbidden to him.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a die-hard "Simpsons" fan. There is an episode in which the chief of police has to go to an emergency. He is at home, in the care of his son, as I recall. Unable to leave him under adult supervision, before leaving he earnestly warns the little boy that in his absence he can play with all the toys he wants, but that he must not open the "mysterious cupboard of forbidden secrets". but on no account should he open the "mysterious cupboard of forbidden secrets.. Well, if the reader friend did not see the chapter or is not a fan of the series, he will already be imagining where the child rushed to as soon as the boss crossed the threshold of the door.

The case of the Argentinean crisis and the "corralito

Those who live in Argentina and are of a certain age will remember the world famous "corralito" that was decreed in 2001 by the then Minister of Economy.

This politician ordered through the national chain that from that moment on, all those inhabitants who had personal savings in the banks, could only withdraw the absurd figure of $ 250 per week for any use they wanted to give to that money. What happened next went around the world.

People, who a week before had no intention of taking their money out of the bank, suddenly experienced the imperative suddenly felt a compelling need to do so.. The measure triggered a real collective desperation among the population to hold in their own hands what rightfully belonged to them.

Social protests piled up and chaos took over the streets. In a few days, the president of the nation had to resign, harassed and overwhelmed by a social outburst that ended with several deaths and dozens of wounded.

Once the crisis of that time was over, many years later, a different government in charge of the Argentine state imposed severe restrictions on the purchase of foreign currency, mainly dollars and euros, in what ended up being called "cepo cambiario".

Buying bills as if there were no tomorrow

Up to that time, any ordinary citizen was free to purchase U.S. or European currency at any bank without further requirements or conditions. From the moment the "cepo" was introduced, the prohibition to buy dollars was practically total, the prohibition to buy dollars was practically total, so this strange psychological phenomenon appeared again on the scene. again on the scene.

As the greenish banknotes were restricted for almost everybody, they became difficult to obtain, which brought not only severe complications for the local economy, but also the proliferation of clandestine houses. the proliferation of clandestine exchange houses everywhere.and the establishment of a parallel market that was soon out of control.

More than once I have seriously considered the possibility of mailing a copy of this article to the Casa Rosada. Or offer them psychological counseling. I can't believe that after whole years of first hand experience, they keep making the same stupid mistakes over and over again.

Benefiting from the attraction of the difficult

On the other hand, those who did get it right in the 80's were the national rock band "Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota". They applied the concept we are discussing here today to perfection, and to their own benefit.

First of all, the Redonditos gave live concerts very sporadically. At the most, they did it only once a year, which, thanks to the scarcity of supply, ensured that the concerts were always crowded.

As a corollary, they performed at points far away from Buenos Aires, where the largest concentration of the public that followed them was to be found. As well as the acrylic barriers that made it difficult for babies to touch the toy, the Redonditos gave their concerts in La Plata, Mendoza, and even Uruguay, ensuring difficult access for a good number of people.They were difficult to access for a good part of their fans and therefore a greater degree of interest for their followers.

Surely some reader will be thinking that in reality the Redonditos presented their shows in Uruguay to the delight of the Uruguayan public. Well, no. That is a rather naive point of view on the matter and, in all honesty, if there is something that the members of the Redonditos did not want to do in Uruguay, it would be the same, if there is one thing that the band members and their production never sinned of, it was naivety..

Concluding

Things are more desirable and valuable to us to the extent that we cannot have them, and less desirable and valuable to the extent that they are perceived as ordinary, commonplace and easily accessible.

And this has been the case since the very origins of humanity, from the time of the caves, when all the basic elements we needed to survive childhood, reach adulthood and be able to reproduce ourselves were scarce.

Today, practically everything that used to be difficult to obtain, we can now order by delivery at home. However, we continue to make decisions based on an unconscious mental premise, which leads us to believe that what is available in the marketplace is the same as what is available in the marketplace. that leads us to believe that what is achieved with effort, or has a certain degree of exclusivity, is more important or valuable to us.is more important or valuable to us, and we want it at all costs.