Transition from “frugality” to “luxury” and vice versa: Effects of transition order and childhood scarcity experience on inhibitory control

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2026.0903

Abstract

Abstract: We investigated how scarcity perception and the order in which scarcity and abundance are experienced influence inhibitory control, as well as whether these effects are immediate or long-lasting. In Experiment 1, 272 college students were recruited to examine the association between perceived scarcity and inhibitory control using both questionnaire-based measures and an experimental task (the Flanker task). The results indicated that individuals exhibited significantly lower levels of inhibitory control when scarcity, rather than abundance, was perceived at the time of the experiment.
Experiment 2 involved 101 college students and employed situational manipulations in which participants experienced scarcity and abundance on separate occasions, with the order of exposure counterbalanced. The findings showed that compared with participants who transitioned from abundance to scarcity, those who experienced scarcity first and abundance subsequently demonstrated significantly shorter response times on the Flanker task under the abundance condition. However, transition order did not affect the inhibitory control.
Experiment 3 recruited 126 college students. Participants were split into two groups based on the level of childhood scarcity experience reported: high vs low. For all participants, the experimental manipulations of scarcity and abundance were identical to those in Experiment 2. The results showed that when individuals experienced abundance first and scarcity afterward, those with more childhood scarcity experience exhibited significantly higher levels of inhibitory control than those with less childhood scarcity experience. These findings suggest that resource scarcity perception exerts both immediate and long-term effects rooted in early-life experiences.
In summary, our results indicate that transitions from frugality to luxury are associated with enhanced general cognitive processing and behavioral performance. In contrast, transitions from luxury to frugality impair inhibitory control, particularly among individuals with limited exposure to scarcity during childhood. Collectively, these findings extend scarcity theory by highlighting the dynamic and developmental nature of scarcity-related cognitive effects.

Key words: scarcity perception, abundance perception, order of the perceptions, inhibitory control, childhood scarcity experience

JIANG Jiali, ZHANG Peng, FAN Lifang, LIU Ying, LU Liuliu, BAI Xuejun. (2026). Transition from “frugality” to “luxury” and vice versa: Effects of transition order and childhood scarcity experience on inhibitory control. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 58(5), 903-917.

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