31 pieces seem worth less than 24 without comparison

Christopher K. Hsee puts you in front of two clearance dinnerware sets. The smaller set contains 24 pieces, all intact. The larger contains 40: it includes those same 24, adds seven usable cups and saucers, and has nine broken pieces. If you count what can be used, the larger set wins by 31 to 24.

In 1998, Hsee showed each set separately to different groups and asked how much they would pay. People who saw the larger set offered an average of $23.25. Those who saw only the 24 perfect pieces offered $32.69. Nine broken pieces made seven useful additions seem to subtract value.

When another group could see both sets side by side, the result changed: $32.03 for the larger one and $29.70 for the smaller. Comparison made the important fact visible: the number of intact pieces. In isolation, the easier fact to judge carried more weight: complete versus damaged.

The experiment does not say that less is better. It says that one bad addition can taint the impression of an entire set when there is no reference point. If you compare two offers, two résumés or two lists, place them side by side, count what is useful first, and set the defective extras aside before deciding.