Post-purchase rationalization
Also known as Buyer's Stockholm syndrome
The tendency to convince ourselves that something we bought was worth the money, especially when it was expensive or flawed. We play up its good points and brush off its faults to avoid feeling we made a mistake.
In everyday life
After buying a pricey new phone, a shopper tells friends the camera alone makes it worth it and avoids reading reviews that criticize it.
You paid a lot for a timeshare you rarely use, and when a friend asks about it, you insist the peace of mind of owning a vacation spot is worth every cent.
Why your mind does this
Holding steady beliefs lets us act without rethinking everything each time. Favoring information that fits what we already know is fast, protects our sense of being right, and keeps our picture of the world stable and coherent.
Its family, in 30 seconds: Confirms beliefs
How to spot it
Notice when you feel defensive about a purchase and start listing its virtues to others without being asked.
How to counter it
Judge a purchase by asking whether you would buy it again today at the same price, knowing what you know now.
Same family: Confirms beliefs
SourcesBrehm (1956)·Wikipedia