Norton, Mochon & Ariely (2012), Journal of Consumer Psychology — IKEA effect: effort/co-creation raises valuation of the result ("labor leads to love") BUT ONLY WHEN TASK IS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED

Claim: Norton, Mochon & Ariely (2012), Journal of Consumer Psychology — IKEA effect: effort / co-creation raises valuation of the result. "Labor leads to love" — but only when the task is successfully completed. Building-then-destroying or failing eliminated the effect.

Source: Norton, Mochon & Ariely (2012), JCP.

Confidence: Verified.

Why this matters for Candid: The IKEA effect requires completion. An abandoned configurator produces no ownership boost — and may produce frustration. Anchors R5 — Pair the IKEA effect with completion: only completed configurations produce psychological ownership; abandoned configurators produce frustration, not love. Effort must feel productive, not like busywork.