<p>The answer I was searching for is Creeping Normality. It fits better examples and has a clearer definition for what I was attempting to express.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>Creeping normality</strong> refers to the way a major change can be accepted as
  the normal situation if it happens slowly, in unnoticed increments,
  when it would be regarded as objectionable if it took place in a
  single step or short period.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-18T10:20:32.453Z
Thanks for providing the answer to your question (an underappreciated practice). You should remember to accept your answer.
Christian Hummeluhr
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-17T04:44:15.273Z
2015-03-17T04:44:15.273Z
Mark Sands
<p>I'm having a hard time phrasing my question into words, so I'll provide an example:</p>

<p>Imagine you ask someone how much it'll take to eat a worm. The person says they would eat a worm for \$20. Instead of offering \$20, you offer 1 dollar less. Reluctantly, they say yes to \$19. You proceed to offer 1 dollar less so on and so forth. Eventually the reward money draws close to \$0 and we're left with a bizarre situation.</p>

<p>Is there a name for this phenomenon or am I totally bananas?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-16T03:42:23.167Z
What do you mean by "bizarre situation"? Eventually you (should) end up with an amount close to the individual's payoffs, the discomfort of eating a worm measured against the amount of money they earn from the action.
IQAndreas
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-16T03:45:44.133Z
_(on the other hand, I could be wrong; human reasoning and decision making doesn't always choose the "game-theoretical perfect" solution)_
IQAndreas
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-16T11:20:23.660Z
I'm not sure this is a good example, I think the worm eater would quite quickly understand what you are doing and have no interest in playing along.
Alex
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-16T16:29:35.430Z
Thanks, @MaríaAnt. I think the Boiling Frog is spot on. That led me to the Sorites paradox, which I have also heard as The Ship of Theseus. To elaborate more on my question: Suppose the person stated their bottom dollar to eat a worm is \$10.00. However, being offered \$9.99 instead and they agree to the terms, this negates their bottom dollar. Perhaps it's a question of boundaries and stubbornness.
Mark Sands
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-16T16:40:04.913Z
I also like the definition of Creeping Normality: Creeping normality refers to the way a major change can be accepted as the normal situation if it happens slowly, in unnoticed increments, when it would be regarded as objectionable if it took place in a single step or short period.
Mark Sands
<motivation><decision-making>
Is there a name for the psychology behind lowering your bets?
Mark Sands
# Is there a name for the psychology behind lowering your bets?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-03-16)

I'm having a hard time phrasing my question into words, so I'll provide an example:

Imagine you ask someone how much it'll take to eat a worm. The person says they would eat a worm for \$20. Instead of offering \$20, you offer 1 dollar less. Reluctantly, they say yes to \$19. You proceed to offer 1 dollar less so on and so forth. Eventually the reward money draws close to \$0 and we're left with a bizarre situation.

Is there a name for this phenomenon or am I totally bananas?

**Tags:** motivation, decision-making

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: What do you mean by "bizarre situation"? Eventually you (should) end up with an amount close to the individual's payoffs, the discomfort of eating a worm measured against the amount of money they earn from the action.  
> **username_1**: _(on the other hand, I could be wrong; human reasoning and decision making doesn't always choose the "game-theoretical perfect" solution)_  
> **username_2**: I'm not sure this is a good example, I think the worm eater would quite quickly understand what you are doing and have no interest in playing along.  
> **username_0**: Thanks, @MaríaAnt. I think the Boiling Frog is spot on. That led me to the Sorites paradox, which I have also heard as The Ship of Theseus. To elaborate more on my question: Suppose the person stated their bottom dollar to eat a worm is \$10.00. However, being offered \$9.99 instead and they agree to the terms, this negates their bottom dollar. Perhaps it's a question of boundaries and stubbornness.  
> **username_0**: I also like the definition of Creeping Normality: Creeping normality refers to the way a major change can be accepted as the normal situation if it happens slowly, in unnoticed increments, when it would be regarded as objectionable if it took place in a single step or short period.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2015-03-17. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

The answer I was searching for is Creeping Normality. It fits better examples and has a clearer definition for what I was attempting to express.

> **Creeping normality** refers to the way a major change can be accepted as
> the normal situation if it happens slowly, in unnoticed increments,
> when it would be regarded as objectionable if it took place in a
> single step or short period.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Thanks for providing the answer to your question (an underappreciated practice). You should remember to accept your answer.  

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