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Scarcity and Cognitive Function around Payday: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis

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Listed:
  • Anandi Mani
  • Sendhil Mullainathan
  • Eldar Shafir
  • Jiaying Zhao

Abstract

The ongoing demands around smoothing consumption with low and sporadic income flows in contexts of scarcity entail that minor changes in cash flows can have big psychological and behavioral effects. In this article, we examine the behavioral and cognitive impact of routine periodic fluctuations in financial status of the poor around paydays. In particular, we draw a link between a range of documented behaviors and an increase in scarcity-induced cognitive load, closer to payday. Our results, along with those of others briefly reviewed, illustrate the outsized role in scarcity contexts of otherwise trivial changes in income flows and highlight the importance of carefully structured research designs in studying the myriad challenges in scarcity contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Anandi Mani & Sendhil Mullainathan & Eldar Shafir & Jiaying Zhao, 2020. "Scarcity and Cognitive Function around Payday: A Conceptual and Empirical Analysis," Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, University of Chicago Press, vol. 5(4), pages 365-376.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jacres:doi:10.1086/709885
    DOI: 10.1086/709885
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    Cited by:

    1. Simonse, Olaf & Van Dijk, Wilco W. & Van Dillen, Lotte F. & Van Dijk, Eric, 2024. "Economic predictors of the subjective experience of financial stress," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    2. Mika Akesaka & Peter Eibich & Chie Hanaoka & Hitoshi Shigeoka, 2023. "Temporal Instability of Risk Preference among the Poor: Evidence from Payday Cycles," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(4), pages 68-99, October.
    3. Christina Kaliampakou & Lefkothea Papada & Dimitris Damigos, 2021. "Are Energy-Vulnerable Households More Prone to Informative, Market, and Behavioral Biases?," Societies, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-22, October.
    4. Gülen Sarial‑Abi & Aulona Ulqinaku & Giampaolo Viglia & Gopal Das, 2023. "The effect of financial scarcity on discretionary spending, borrowing, and investing," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(6), pages 1214-1243, November.
    5. Schmitt, Stefanie Yvonne & Schlatterer, Markus G., 2020. "Poverty and limited attention," BERG Working Paper Series 159, Bamberg University, Bamberg Economic Research Group.
    6. Rachel Griffith, 2022. "Obesity, Poverty and Public Policy," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 132(644), pages 1235-1258.
    7. Ernst-Jan Bruijn & Gerrit Antonides, 2022. "Poverty and economic decision making: a review of scarcity theory," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 92(1), pages 5-37, February.
    8. Christian T. Elbæk & Panagiotis Mitkidis & Lene Aarøe & Tobias Otterbring, 2023. "Subjective socioeconomic status and income inequality are associated with self-reported morality across 67 countries," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    9. Guilherme Lichand & Anandi Mani, 2020. "Cognitive Droughts," CSAE Working Paper Series 2020-02, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    10. Timothée Demont & Daniela Horta Sáenz & Eva Raiber, 2023. "Turning worries into cognitive performance: Results from an online experiment during Covid," Working Papers hal-03953178, HAL.
    11. Clémence Berson & Raphaël Lardeux & Claire Lelarge, 2021. "The Cognitive Load of Financing Constraints: Evidence from Large-Scale Wage Surveys," Working papers 836, Banque de France.
    12. Schmitt, Stefanie Y. & Schlatterer, Markus G., 2021. "Poverty and limited attention," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    13. Eesha Sharma & Stephanie Tully & Xiang Wang, 2022. "Scarcity and Intertemporal Choice," Working Papers 22-27, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    14. Wang-Ly, Nathan & Newell, Ben R., 2024. "Income volatility and saving decisions: Experimental evidence," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    15. Selina Bruns & Bernhard Dalheimer & Oliver Musshoff, 2022. "The effect of cognitive function on the poor's economic performance: Evidence from Cambodian smallholder farmers," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 53(3), pages 468-480, May.
    16. Burlacu, Sergiu & Mani, Anandi & Ronzani, Piero & Savadori, Lucia, 2023. "The preoccupied parent," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    17. Eva Raiber & Daniela Horta Saenz & Timothée Demont, 2023. "Turning worries into performance: Results from an online experiment during COVID," French Stata Users' Group Meetings 2023 08, Stata Users Group.
    18. Guilherme Lichand & Anandi Mani, 2020. "Cognitive droughts," ECON - Working Papers 341, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
    19. Qiangqiang Wang & Shengmin Liu & Feng Wang & Wendian Shi, 2024. "How Money Scarcity Influences Individuals’ Cognitive Control," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.

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