Love the one you’re with: The endowment effect in the dating market

The endowment effect appears to be much stronger in markets for environmental goods that are not usually monetized than in traditional markets. This study explored the effect in another non-traditional market: the dating market. In Experiment 1, participants were asked either for a buying or selling price for the contact information of each of 10 dates. The WTA/WTP ratios within this market were higher than in traditional markets and, unexpectedly, much higher for women than for men, with an average ratio of 9.37 and 2.70, respectively. Experiment 2 replicated this result and found in a within-subject design the usual WTA/WTP ratio for coffee mugs. The paper concludes with a discussion of differences between traditional and non-traditional markets, with a special emphasis on the dating market.

► We examine the endowment effect in a nontraditional market: the dating market.
► We measure the magnitude of the WTA/WTP ratio.
► WTA/WTP ratios are much higher for women than for men: 9.37 versus 2.70.
► Women are consistent with previous studies of nontraditional markets; men are not.