Today we have a dark story about the very controversial topic of end of life decision making that demonstrates what we in decision making studies call the “endowment effect.” Again, this wonderful story is written by another one of my undergraduate behavioral economics students at Duke. Hope you enjoy it! You can find it here.
Hi, I’m Dan Ariely. I do research in behavioral economics and try to describe it in plain language. These findings have enriched my life, and my hope is that they will do the same for you.
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this story profoundly resonated with me.
reading it i experienced an ‘aha’ moment.
I’m a very far cry from an expert in psychology, but I can’t help but wonder if the endowment effect is really such a primary motivator to Alison’s actions in this story? Relatives and friends of Alzheimers patients can say ‘that’s not my father/mother/friend/lover etc any more’ and yet continue to care for them and feel attachment, whether or not they are the primary carer to whom it seems the endowment effect would apply. I would thus attribute this to the emotional impulses formed by the memories of love, which may be less distinct (and thus allow for more left-brain thinking such as Alison’s private debates, which seem to err more on the side of euthenasia the further she is from her mother) when further from the physical entity which has a continuity with the person they once cared for.
In this story, although Alison admits to not loving her mother any more, she still has the memories of a loving relationship with her. Is it not more likely to be the emotional impulses driven by former love, intensified by the presence of the same physical form which was once her mother, rather than the concept of ownership, which would motivate her in this case?
Logana,a very well thought out comment,kinder to the caregiver and in many cases probably correct.
It is the most common assumption, I think,whereas Dan worked on an original hunch.
What do other readers think? I am curious.
Sonia
One simply has to watch the video/read the book ‘Love You Forever’. I sense a feeling of hopelessness and despair interpreted as ‘lack of love’. Whenever I encounter a woman of any age, nationality or status who is in some form of distress I always reflect on the same thought “she is someone’s daughter”.