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The Conversation
The Conversation
Caitlyn Forster, Associate Lecturer, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney

‘Phantom decoys’ manipulate human shoppers – but bees may be immune to their charms

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Have you ever waited in a long queue only to find the ice cream flavour you wanted is gone? What did you choose instead?

In the field of behavioural economics, researchers have shown that people make very predictable second choices if the item they want is sold out. So much so, that it is possible to use unavailable items to nudge people into buying certain products.

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