Written by: Pang Tong
Stop Criticizing LaBuBu! You Have No Idea How It's "Murdering" Your Rationality!
Have you noticed that people around you have been talking about a "little elf" recently? With pointy ears, a crooked mouth, and sometimes a hint of a mischievous smile. This is LaBuBu, the hottest trendy IP under Bubble Mart. From celebrities to ordinary white-collar workers, from first-tier cities to small counties, LaBuBu has swept through our lives at an incredible speed, even making countless people willingly empty their wallets.
Do you think this is just a simple trendy carnival? Do you think you're just paying for a "hobby"? Too naive!
Today, I will tear off LaBuBu's "cute" disguise and reveal how it precisely captures your psychology, step by step "murdering" your rationality, making you unknowingly become its "ATM"!
This is not an exaggeration; behind this are several "thinking models" that have been subtly controlling you!
Scarcity Principle: What You're Grabbing Is Not a Toy, But the Fear of "Missing Out"!
Why are LaBuBu blind boxes always "hard to get"? Why can hidden edition prices be hyped to sky-high levels?
This is the "scarcity principle" at work!
Humans have an almost obsessive desire for scarce items. When an item is limited and hard to obtain, we instinctively believe it's more valuable, thus creating a stronger desire to possess it. Bubble Mart is well aware of this, artificially creating LaBuBu's "scarcity" through limited releases, hidden editions, and hunger marketing.
You think you're buying LaBuBu, but you're actually purchasing a psychological sense of "not being left behind"! You're afraid of missing out, afraid that others have it while you don't. This "fear of missing out" (FOMO) makes you lose rationality, willing to do anything to bring it home.
Intermittent Reinforcement: A "Psychological Trap" More Addictive Than Gambling!
What's the charm of blind boxes? It's in that "uncertainty"!
You never know what the next blind box will reveal - a desired style or a repeated "dud"? This mechanism of "sometimes rewarded, sometimes not" is psychologically termed "intermittent reinforcement".
It's more magical than continuous reinforcement (always rewarded) because it creates a "gambler's psychology". Like a slot machine, you don't know when you'll hit the jackpot, but each pull is filled with anticipation and excitement. Even if you miss several times, one "win" can instantly offset previous disappointments, making you confident about the next "lucky" chance.
LaBuBu's blind boxes are the "psychological slot machines" in your hand! Each unboxing is a psychological game. You're not "drawing a blind box", you're "gambling" on human nature! This intermittent stimulation will make you unable to stop, trapped until your wallet is empty, still anticipating the next "miracle"!
Loss Aversion: You're Not Spending Money, But Your "Unwillingness to Give Up"!
Have you ever experienced wanting a specific hidden edition so badly that you've bought over ten blind boxes, but are just a little short?
At this moment, don't you feel a strong sense of "unwillingness to give up"? You feel that if you quit now, the money you've spent would be "wasted"!
Congratulations, you've fallen into the "loss aversion" trap!
Psychological research shows that people's pain of loss far exceeds the joy of gaining an equivalent reward. When you've invested time and money without getting the desired result, the pain of "loss" becomes unbearable. To avoid this pain, you choose to continue investing until you "break even" or get what you want.
So, every penny you spend on LaBuBu might not be to "obtain" something, but to "not lose"! You're not paying for a new toy; you're paying for your "unwillingness to give up"!
Social Validation and Conformity Effect: You're Not Buying a Trendy Toy, But a "Social Currency"!
Why has LaBuBu gone viral across the internet? Why are celebrities and trendsetters showing off their LaBuBu?
Because LaBuBu is no longer just a toy, it's a "social currency"!
Humans are social animals who crave acceptance and want to fit into groups. When LaBuBu becomes a trendy symbol and a "popular study" on social media, owning it means you're at the forefront of fashion and belong to a certain "circle".
You think you're chasing a trend, but you're actually chasing a feeling of "being accepted"! You're not buying a trendy toy; you're buying an "entry ticket" to a circle, a "social currency" to establish connections with others.
Anchoring Effect and Psychological Accounting: Your Wallet Is Being Controlled by an "Invisible Hand"!
Have you noticed that although individual LaBuBu blind boxes aren't expensive, you've unknowingly spent hundreds or thousands?
Behind this are the "anchoring effect" and "psychological accounting" subtly at work!
The "anchoring effect" means people overly rely on the first information they obtain (the "anchor"). When hidden LaBuBu editions are hyped to thousands or even tens of thousands, a blind box costing a few dozen seems "cheap" in your mind. This high-price "anchor" makes you lose vigilance towards low-priced blind boxes.
"Psychological accounting" makes you categorize LaBuBu purchases into an "entertainment account" or "small expense account". You think it's "small money" and "for fun", so you spend without pressure, even more generously than buying daily necessities.
Your wallet is being controlled by these "invisible hands"! You think you're spending freely, but you're actually playing by their "rules"!
Conclusion: See Through the "Little Elf's" Truth and Become Rational Again!
LaBuBu's explosion is no coincidence. It precisely exploits human weaknesses, constructing a powerful "consumption loop" through a series of thinking models like scarcity, intermittent reinforcement, loss aversion, social validation, anchoring effect, and psychological accounting.
We're not trying to deny LaBuBu's artistic value and the happiness it brings, but to remind you: maintaining clarity and rationality is crucial in the face of a crazy trend.
Next time you pick up a LaBuBu blind box, ask yourself:
Do I truly like it, or am I afraid of missing out?
Am I genuinely enjoying the unboxing, or anticipating an uncertain "jackpot"?
Am I paying for my hobby, or for my "unwillingness to give up"?
Am I pursuing individuality, or chasing a feeling of "being accepted"?
Only by seeing through the "little elf's" truth can you truly control your wallet and become rational again!
Don't let a "little elf" empty your wallet and "murder" your rationality!
