DDrift

Chapter 03 of 5

Losses Hurt More

Why losing £100 feels worse than winning £100 feels good.

  1. The Idea

    Loss aversion

    Losing something tends to feel more powerful than gaining the same thing. Psychologists call this loss aversion.

  2. The Bet

    Heads or tails

    Offered a coin flip — win £150 on heads, lose £100 on tails — most people refuse, even though the bet favours them.

  3. The Ratio

    Roughly twice as strong

    Studies often estimate losses feel about twice as strong as equal gains, though the exact figure varies.

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Could you answer this?

In the 1990 mug experiment, what did students who'd been given a mug do?

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🎲 The Glitches in Our Thinking

  1. 01Two SystemsFast intuition, slow reasoning — and the friendship that mapped them.
  2. 02The Anchor DropsHow the first number you hear quietly shapes your judgement.
  3. 03Losses Hurt MoreWhy losing £100 feels worse than winning £100 feels good.
  4. 04Easy to Imagine, Easy to BelieveWhy vivid stories warp our sense of risk.
  5. 05NudgedHow small design changes steer big decisions — for better or worse.