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Grabbing the Forbidden Fruit: Restriction-Sensitive Choice

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  • Niels Boissonnet
  • Alexis Ghersengorin

Abstract

Restricting individuals' access to some opportunities may steer their desire toward their substitutes, a phenomenon known as the forbidden fruit effect. We axiomatize a choice model named restriction-sensitive choice (RSC), which rationalizes the forbidden fruit effect and is compatible with the prominent psychological explanations: reactance theory and commodity theory. The model is identifiable from choice data, specifically from the observation of choice reversals caused by the removal of options. We conduct a normative analysis both in terms of the agent's freedom and welfare. We apply our model to shed light on two phenomena: the backfire effect of beliefs and the backlash of integration policies targeted towards minorities.

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  • Niels Boissonnet & Alexis Ghersengorin, 2025. "Grabbing the Forbidden Fruit: Restriction-Sensitive Choice," Papers 2509.11673, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2509.11673
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    References listed on IDEAS

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