Scarcity: Why having too little means so much

by Sendhil Mullainathan

By scarcity, we mean having less than you feel you need.

In all these cases, scarcity operates unconsciously. It captures attention whether the mind’s owner wishes it or not.

Scarcity is not just a physical constraint. It is also a mindset. When scarcity captures our attention, it changes how we think—whether

When time is short, you get more out of it, be it work or pleasure. We call this the focus dividend—the positive outcome of scarcity capturing the mind.