I, with a monthly salary of 3 k, was emptied out of my Wallet by a Labubu!

Labubu is no longer just a toy; it is more of a "social coin."

Written by: Pang Tong

Stop cursing LaBuBu! You have no idea it's "murdering" your rationality!

Have you noticed that people around you have been talking about a "little elf" lately? It has a pair of pointed ears, a crooked mouth, and sometimes a wicked smile. It is LaBuBu, the hottest trendy toy IP under Bubble Mart. From celebrity hipsters to ordinary white-collar workers, from first-tier cities to small counties, LaBuBu has swept our lives at an incredible speed, and even made countless people "willingly" empty their wallets.

Do you think this is just a simple trend celebration? Do you think you are just paying for a "hobby"? Too naive!

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Today, I will tear open the "cute" coat of LaBuBu and reveal how it accurately manipulates your psychology, "murders" your rationality step by step, and makes you become its "ATM" before you know it!

This is not alarmist, behind this, there are several "mental models" that you have never noticed are quietly manipulating you!

Scarcity Principle: What you are grabbing is not a toy, it is the fear of "missing out"!

Why are LaBuBu's blind boxes always "hard to find"? Why can the price of the hidden model be sky-high?

This is exactly the "Scarcity Principle" at work!

Humans are born with an almost paranoid desire for scarce items. When an item is limited in quantity and difficult to obtain, we instinctively perceive it as more valuable, resulting in a stronger desire to own it. Bubble Mart understands this, and artificially creates the "scarcity" of LaBuBu through limited releases, hidden settings, and hunger marketing.

You think you're snapping up LaBuBu, but you're actually snapping up a sense of "not being left behind"! You're afraid of missing out, you're afraid that someone else has it and you don't, and this "fear of missing out" (FOMO) makes you lose your mind and take it home at all costs.

Intermittent reinforcement: a "psychological trap" more addictive than gambling!

What is the charm of blind boxes? It's in that sense of "uncertainty"!

You never know what will come out of the next blind box, whether it will be the desired style or a duplicate "雷款"? This mechanism of "sometimes having a reward, sometimes not" is known in psychology as "intermittent reinforcement."

It's more magical than continuous enhancement (which rewards every time) because it creates a "gambler's mentality." Just like a slot machine, you don't know when you're going to hit the jackpot, but every time you pull the rocker, it's full of anticipation and excitement. Even if you fail several times in a row, as long as you "win" once, you can instantly offset the previous disappointment and make you confident in the next "good luck".

LaBuBu's blind box is the "psychological slot machine" in your hand! Every time the box is unpacked, it is a psychological game. You're not "drawing blind boxes", you're just "betting" on human nature! And this intermittent stimulation will make you want to stop and fall into it until your wallet is emptied, and you are still looking forward to the next "miracle"!

Loss aversion: What you spend is not money, but "resentment"!

Have you ever had such an experience: in order to draw a certain hidden model, you have bought more than a dozen blind boxes, but only a little bit?

At this moment, do you feel a strong sense of "unwillingness"? You might think that if you give up now, the money you spent before will be "wasted"!

Congratulations, you've fallen into the "loss aversion" trap again!

Psychological research shows that people experience the pain of loss far more intensely than the pleasure of equivalent gains. When you invest time and money but do not achieve the desired results, the pain of that "loss" can be unbearable. To avoid this pain, you may choose to continue investing until you "break even" or obtain what you want.

So, every penny you spend on LaBuBu may not be for "getting" but rather for "not losing"! You are not paying for a new toy; you are only paying for your "unwillingness to accept defeat"!

Social Recognition and the Bandwagon Effect: What you are buying is not trendy toys, but "social currency"!

Why is LaBuBu taking the internet by storm? Why are celebrities and trendsetters all showcasing LaBuBu?

Because LaBuBu is no longer just a toy, it is more of a "social coin"!

Humans are social animals; we crave recognition and desire to integrate into groups. When LaBuBu becomes a trend symbol and a "hot topic" on social media, owning it means you are at the forefront of fashion and signifies that you belong to a certain "circle."

You think you are chasing trends, but in fact you are only chasing a feeling of "being recognized"! What you are buying is not trendy toys, but a "ticket" to enter the circle, a "social currency" to establish connections with others.

Anchoring Effect and Mental Accounting: Your wallet is being manipulated by the "invisible hand"!

Have you ever felt that although a single LaBuBu blind box isn't expensive, you unknowingly end up spending hundreds or even thousands?

Behind this, the "anchoring effect" and "mental accounting" are quietly at work!

The "anchoring effect" refers to the tendency of people to rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive (the "anchor") when making decisions. When LaBuBu's hidden models are hyped to several thousand or even tens of thousands, a blind box that costs dozens of dollars suddenly seems "very cheap" in your mind. This high-priced "anchor" makes you lose your vigilance towards the low-priced blind boxes.

The "Mental Account" allows you to put the money you spend on LaBuBu into an "Entertainment Account" or "Small Consumption Account". You think it's "small money", it's "fun", so it's stress-free to spend, and it's even more "generous" than buying necessities.

Your wallet is being controlled by these "invisible hands"! You think you are spending freely, but in fact, you are just playing the game according to the "rules" they set!

Conclusion: See through the truth behind the "little spirit" and return to your rational self!

The explosive popularity of LaBuBu is no coincidence. It precisely leverages human weaknesses through a series of cognitive models such as scarcity, intermittent reinforcement, loss aversion, social proof, anchoring effect, and mental accounting to construct a powerful "consumption loop."

We are not denying the artistic value of LaBuBu and the joy it brings, but we want to remind you: it is crucial to maintain a sense of clarity and rationality in the face of fervent trends.

The next time you pick up a LaBuBu mystery box, ask yourself:

• Do I really like it, or am I afraid of missing out?
• Am I really enjoying the fun of unboxing, or am I looking forward to that uncertain "grand prize"?
• Am I really paying for my hobby, or am I paying for my "unwillingness"?
• Am I really pursuing individuality, or am I chasing the feeling of "being recognized"?

Only by seeing the truth behind the "little elf" can you truly take control of your wallet and be your rational self again!

Don't let a "little sprite" empty your wallet and "murder" your reason!