The Sunk Cost Trap

Ever kept playing a boring game just because you’d already played it for a while? That’s a tricky trap called the "sunk cost fallacy." It makes us keep doing stuff even if it's no fun.

This is what happens to Duchess. After 15 minutes of watching a movie, she’s bored. "This movie sucks!" she says. An hour later, she thinks about stopping, but doesn't. Two hours later, she even looks at her watch! "I've gone this far… might as well finish it," she sighs.

That’s the sunk cost fallacy! Duchess already "sunk" time into the movie. She thinks if she stops now, that time is wasted. But guess what? Even after watching the whole thing, she still thinks it sucked!

The time is gone no matter what. Watching more just wastes more time! It's like buying yucky chips. You wouldn't keep eating them just because you bought them, right?

The sunk cost fallacy makes us stick with bad stuff because we already put something into it, like time or money. It's okay to stop doing something if it’s no fun, even if you already spent time on it. Sometimes, stopping is the best idea!

Want to learn more about the Sunk Cost fallacy? Check out our activity pack for fun activities that help you spot this common logical fallacy.