Experiencing less leads to the use of more: The effect of a scarcity mindset on product usage

• Consumers’ subjective scarcity mindset induces them to engage more in unrelated product usage. • This effect is serially mediated by consumers’ selfish tendencies and anticipated guilt of waste. • Owning the product in usage decreases usage amount when a scarcity mindset is induced. • Recycling education enhances the anticipated guilt of waste and then reduces the usage amount. In social marketing campaigns, demonstrating the severity of scarcity to highlight the importance of reducing wasteful behaviours is a prevalent approach that seems logically justified. However, whether and how a scarcity mindset influences product usage in waste generation remains unclear. The present article reveals the process underlying the effect of a scarcity mindset on product usage. A series of studies demonstrate that reminding consumers of a scarcity experience induces them to be more selfishly oriented and to experience less anticipated guilt of waste, thereby increasing their usage amount. Furthermore, enhancing the possession–self link with ownership and conducting recycling education for the classification of unrecyclable waste can moderate the effects of a scarcity mindset on usage quantity. This research thus advances our understanding of the factors that affect consumption quantity and sheds light on waste prevention and reduction.