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Abstract Resource scarcity pervades our life. A scarcity mindset triggered by perceiving insufficient resources has been proven to influence our cognition and behaviors, yet it remains unknown whether this mindset specifically influences empathy. The present study induced feelings of scarcity or abundance in separate groups of participants through experimental manipulation and examined the effects of both mindsets on the behavioral and neural responses to others’ pain. Behaviorally, pain intensity ratings of others’ pain were lower in the scarcity group than in the abundance group. The analysis of event-related potentials revealed that N1 amplitudes for painful and nonpainful stimuli were comparable in the scarcity group but differed significantly in the abundance group. Additionally, while both groups showed larger late positive potential amplitudes for painful stimuli than for nonpainful stimuli, this amplitude differential was significantly smaller in the scarcity group than in the abundance group. Thus, behavioral and neural evidence suggests that inducing a scarcity mindset significantly dampens the ability to empathize with others’ pain during both the early and late stages of empathic processing. These findings shed light on our understanding of how a scarcity mindset may influence social emotions and behaviors.

Given the continued relevance of perceived scarcity, understanding how a scarcity mindset influences human cooperation remains critical. However, previous research has yielded mixed results regarding this relationship. To clarify these inconsistencies, this study examined the impact of a scarcity mindset on cooperation within various social normative contexts. Participants were randomly assigned to either a scarcity or abundance mindset and engaged in a Public Goods Game under descriptive or injunctive normative conditions, each with high or low prosocial expectations. The results revealed that in both normative contexts, individuals with a scarcity mindset exhibited greater cooperation than those with an abundance mindset. Individuals also cooperated more under high prosocial norms compared to low ones. Importantly, the interaction effect revealed that while cooperation did not differ between the two mindsets under low prosocial norms, the scarcity mindset led to significantly greater cooperation under high prosocial norms. These findings provide new insights into the scarcity–cooperation dynamic and suggest that robust prosocial norms can amplify the cooperative tendencies associated with a scarcity mindset, highlighting the importance of leveraging social norms to enhance cooperation in resource-scarce situations.

Abstract Empathy for social pain encompasses both affective and cognitive responses to others’ emotional reactions following negative social encounters, facilitating an understanding of their suffering and promoting prosocial behaviors. This study examined how a scarcity mindset affects empathy for social pain and prosocial intentions at behavioral and neural levels. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to either the scarcity or abundance mindset group. They viewed images of social exclusion or neutral scenarios and subsequently rated the perceived unpleasantness of the target person and their willingness to provide comfort during a stage-game paradigm. The results showed that participants in the scarcity mindset group demonstrated greater differentiation in their ratings of unpleasantness and willingness to comfort when exposed to social exclusion images compared to neutral ones, relative to the abundance mindset group. Electrophysiological data revealed that social exclusion images elicited larger late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes in the scarcity mindset group, but not in the abundance mindset group. Additionally, within the scarcity mindset group, affective empathy trait scores moderated the relationship between LPP amplitudes and willingness to comfort ratings. These findings highlight the amplifying effects of a scarcity mindset on empathy for social pain and prosocial intentions, and emphasize the role of affective empathy traits in this dynamic process.

This study explored the relationship between scarcity mindset and envy and the possible mediating mechanisms. We induced participants’ scarcity mindset. Individuals with a scarcity mindset experienced more envy and generated more malicious motivation and less benign motivation to improve themselves after upward social comparison as compared to their counterparts. The relationship between scarcity mindset and envy was mediated by sense of control. Improving the sense of control of individuals with a scarcity mindset significantly reduced their envy and malicious motivation and significantly enhanced their benign motivation. Overall, this study found that individuals with a scarcity mindset were more envious of others after upward social comparison, and this phenomenon was significantly improved by manipulating their sense of control.

Avoiding food waste has become an important global issue. Given the global impact of food waste and the profound influence of Generation Z on future development, it is crucial to guide them in cultivating awareness and behaviors to reduce food waste, thereby promoting sustainable development. Considering young consumers’ specific characteristics and consumption environment, this study extended the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework by adding two constructs of moral self-identity and scarcity mindset. An online survey was conducted, receiving 417 valid responses, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. This study shows that subjective norms, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control positively influence Generation Z’s intentions to avoid food waste. Meanwhile, moral self-identity remarkably positively influences attitudes and perceived behavioral control, which in turn affects intention to avoid food waste. Moreover, the positive moderating role of scarcity mindset is verified. This study refines the exploration of food waste within the realm of the Generation Z group, and the findings are beneficial for relevant stakeholders to further develop personalized promotion strategies for Generation Z.

Background Subjective socioeconomic status (SES), an individual’s beliefs about his or her social class, is anticipated to be related to future orientation. This study proposed a moderation model to examine the relationship between subjective SES on future orientation and the protective role of low fatalism. Methods Two studies were conducted to test the proposed model. Specifically, in Study 1, the structured questionnaires were administered to a sample comprising 217 Chinese participants (192 females, M age = 18.24 ± 0.63). In Study 2, the structured questionnaires and an Imaginative Scenario Test were administered to collect data among 244 Chinese participants (167 females, M age = 18.44 ± 0.73). Regression analyses were used to explore the moderating role of fatalism in the association between subjective SES on future orientation. The Bootstrap methods were used to test the significance of these moderating effects. Results The results revealed two primary findings: (1) Fatalism moderated the pathway from subjective SES to future orientation. Specifically, low fatalism served as a protective factor, making low subjective SES less disruptive to their future orientation. (2) The moderating effect was primarily attributed to the “luck dimension”, which was the belief that luck plays a pivotal role in determining one’s fate. Conclusions The findings contribute to enriching the current understanding of the subjective SES on future orientation and the protective role of low fatalism.

Contemporary materialism/consumerism emphasizes excessive spending to own the latest and greatest products. Maintaining an appearance of wealth is economically unfeasible for most. Materialism can generate beliefs of insufficient funds and inadequacy to afford goods. Materialism is the possession of goods for happiness, centrality, and success. Material goods become a focus to someone's life to signal well-being. Financial scarcity theory explains people believe they are constantly behind or unable to pay for their needs. These individuals will perform tradeoffs to fulfill needs. Perceived lack of finances drives consumers to buy goods that fill perceived deficiencies. Path analysis demonstrated financial scarcity related to higher materialism. Higher financial scarcity related to lower household income and thereby higher materialism. Higher financial scarcity related to higher impression management and thereby higher materialism. These results indicated the possession of goods can artificially inflate someone's socioeconomic status to compensate for self-perceived paucity.

We tested the relationships between economic scarcity, concrete construal level and risk behaviors. We manipulated the lack of economic resources using a priming task in Studies 1 and 2, and participants reported their real income and completed the BIF scale to measure their construal level in Study 3. Studies 1–3 supported the link between perceived economic scarcity and the concrete construal level. Study 4 demonstrated the mediating role played by the concrete construal level in the influence of economic scarcity on risk behaviors using two opposite priming procedures (scarcity plus abstraction). Study 5, in a real context of economic vulnerability, supported the link between concrete mindset and risk behavioral intentions, while abstraction was associated with fewer risk intentions. Concrete thinking implies focusing on the immediate situation, which might facilitate adaptation to the demanding conditions that characterize scarcity contexts but leaves people without a broad perspective of the future to make safe decisions in situations that involve self-control, such as health-risk behaviors. Because an abstract construal level can be induced, these findings open up challenging ways to improve the conditions in which people in scarcity contexts make some behavioral decisions while we continue working to reduce situations of economic scarcity.

Purpose The shape of a product plays a crucial role in shaping consumer behavior. Despite the voluminous research on factors influencing consumers’ shape preferences, there remains a limited understanding of how the busy mindset, a mentality increasingly emphasized by marketing campaigns, works. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the relationship between a busy mindset and the preference for angular-shaped versus circular-shaped products and brand logos. Design/methodology/approach This research consists of seven experimental studies using various shape stimuli, distinct manipulations of busy mindset, different assessments of shape preference and samples drawn from multiple countries. Findings The findings reveal that a busy mindset leads to a preference for angular shapes over circular ones by amplifying the need for uniqueness. In addition, these effects are attenuated when products are scarce. Originality/value This research represents one of the pioneering efforts to study the role of a busy mindset on consumers’ aesthetic preferences. Beyond yielding insights for practitioners into visual marketing, this research contributes to the theories on the busy mindset and shape preference.

Across three studies, we explored the link between an abstract mindset and subjective well-being (SWB) in participants with real and/or perceived financial scarcity. In Studies 1 and 2, samples presented real objective financial vulnerability: Adolescents from lower-middle income districts (Study 1; N = 256), and adults without higher education and with very low incomes (Study 2; N = 210). In Studies 1 and 2 participants completed a survey including measures of thinking style and SWB. In Studies 2 and 3 perception of financial difficulty and SWB were also measured. Study 3 (N = 161) used a sample of university students and employed an experimental design manipulating participants’ thinking style (i.e., concrete versus abstract mindset conditions); additionally, all participants were induced to perceive financial scarcity. Correlations revealed a significant and positive relationship between an abstract thinking style and SWB (Studies 1 and 2). Thus, these results showed that a relatively more abstract thinking style was associated with greater life satisfaction. In Studies 2 and 3 mediation analyses indicated that adults who presented a more abstract thinking style, perceived lower financial difficulties and then reported greater SWB. Overall, given that an abstract thinking style can be induced, these results offer a new intervention approach for improving the SWB of people living in situations of financial scarcity.