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How much are we deluded by price?

WineA recent  academic study by Antonio Rangel of the California Institute of Technology (published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) suggests that we can have a tendancy to turn our noses up at cheaper items even if they are essentially the same.   Interestingly, the implication of this is that if people are told that a wine they are drinking is more expensive when they are drinking it, they really do tend to think it tastes nicer, rather than just saying as much. From The Economist:
Dr Rangel gave his volunteers sips of what he said were five different wines made from cabernet sauvignon grapes, priced at between $5 and $90 a bottle. He told each of them the price of the wine in question as he did so. Except, of course, that he was fibbing. He actually used only three wines. He served up two of them twice at different prices.
This, of course, has implications not just for wine, but for other luxury goods.   Are we, without realisting it, all too frequently deluded by price?

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.

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One Comment

  1. I agree, it’s interesting that people will pay more for something because the price reflects the quality of the product or food. Growing up in Southern California proved to me that, for example, the best Mexican food was from the hole in the wall places.

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