The IKEA Effect: Why building your own success feels better than buying it

How understanding this hidden bias can turn a UPSC aspirant’s hard work into smart work

The IKEA Effect is a psychological bias where people value something more simply because they built it themselves.

Named after the furniture brand IKEA, which makes customers assemble their own products, it shows how personal effort increases emotional attachment.

In short: When you invest sweat, you add value — at least in your mind.

So, even if a ready-made desk is sturdier, the one you built yourself feels more special. The same logic applies to ideas, notes or strategies, especially in something as personal as UPSC preparation.

The science behind the sentiment

Researchers Michael Norton, Daniel Mochon and Dan Ariely demonstrated that people were willing to pay more for items they assembled themselves. Why? Because effort creates ownership and ownership creates pride.

This sense of “I made this” boosts motivation and persistence but can also cloud judgement when improvement is needed.

Advantages of the IKEA Effect

1. Higher motivation: You feel emotionally connected to what you’ve created, keeping you consistent.
2. Sense of ownership: Self-made notes, strategies and plans feel personal and empowering.
3. Deep learning: Building your own frameworks and revising your own summaries enhances retention.
4. Confidence booster: The pride of creating something yourself improves morale and belief in your process.

Disadvantages of the IKEA Effect

1. Resistance to change: You may refuse to update or replace inefficient strategies because they’re “yours”.
2. Time drain: Over-customising notes or plans can waste hours that could be used for actual study.
3. Bias toward self-created material: You might ignore better external resources, thinking yours are superior.
4. Emotional burnout: Too much attachment can lead to frustration if results don’t match effort.

How to overcome its downsides

1. Stay open to feedback: Treat advice from mentors or toppers as upgrades, not threats.
2. Test, don’t worship: Regularly evaluate what works, if your notes or methods don’t yield results, adapt.
3. Mix ownership with objectivity: Keep the pride of making your own system, but prune it ruthlessly when needed.
4. Set review intervals: Every few weeks, audit your methods, keep what works, fix what doesn’t.

Turning the IKEA Effect into an asset

UPSC prep is a long journey. It’s not just about reading but building your ecosystem of understanding. Here’s how to use the IKEA Effect positively:

Create your own notes: Summarize in your language. You’ll remember more because it’s “your creation”.

Design personal timetables: When your plan fits you, you’re more likely to stick with it.

Develop your own answer-writing templates: You’ll internalise structure and recall it faster in the exam.

Build self-tracking tools: Your own progress sheets or study trackers keep you invested in the journey.

But don’t get stuck. If a topper’s notes or test series offers a better approach, adopt it. True mastery lies in upgrading your own creation, not worshipping it.

Build, but be willing to rebuild

The IKEA Effect teaches that effort breeds pride, but pride without flexibility breeds stagnation.

For an aspirant, the sweet spot lies in creating with ownership and refining with humility.

So, yes: build your UPSC “furniture”. Just remember to keep the screwdriver handy.