Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

165 Scarcity

Things become more desirable when they are in short supply or occur infrequently.

Few principles move humans to action more effectively than scarcity. When items and opportunities become scarce, their general desirability increases, and even people who are otherwise disinterested often find themselves motivated to act. The cause likely regards scarcity acting as an indicator of quality, in combination with a strong preference for keeping options open whenever possible. The principle applies generally across the spectrum of human behavior, from mate attractiveness and selection (often referred to as the Romeo and Juliet Effect) to tactics of negotiation.1

Five tactics are commonly employed to apply the principle of scarcity: