Selling in a Crisis

7Dig for Ponies

A major university set up a study to gain a better understanding of how people with optimistic and pessimistic mindsets handle abundance and scarcity. After an extensive search they chose two eight-year-old boys to bring into the lab.

The scientists set up rooms in the lab with one-way mirrors so that they could observe the boys without interfering. They filled the first room with fun toys, superhero action figures, and the latest video games – everything an adolescent boy would love. The second room they filled floor to ceiling with horse manure that they had delivered from a local boarding stable.

The researchers put the first young man, whom they'd assessed as having a pessimistic mindset in the room that was abundant with toys. Then they ushered the optimistic young man into the room filled with horse poop.

As the first boy entered the room full of toys his eyes lit up and a big grin crossed his face. He moved from toy to toy, playing with each for a moment before jumping to the next one. Soon though he was sitting in the middle of the floor whining. “I'm bored!” He cried. “I don't even like these toys. They didn't get the right video games. There's no one to play with. I just want to go home!”

After watching the entitled little brat, who had been given everything, whine and cry, the researchers walked over to the room filled with manure. What they observed stopped them in their tracks. They were so shocked that they had to step back for a moment and catch ...