This calls into question one of the most widely accepted views.
(*STORED VALUE refers here to the personal investment of time and effort).
As a consequence these 'things' don't depreciate, they appreciate over time.
It is one of the great mysteries of our time (in my view) that the effort put into making things easier, faster, and more rewarding for people is increasing.
↳ faster: we break everything down into small steps that lead to quick (interim) results.
↳ easier: always on the lookout for 'easy wins' that you can then celebrate together.
↳ rewarding: in order for people to accept annoying activities, the extrinsic rewards must be constantly increasing. (instead of changing the activities themselves ;-) )
This exactly could be seen as a mystery because....
...with every voluntary activity (such as a sport, game or hobby) we prove that we prefer to be involved in something that we perceive as a challenge, that lasts rather than being over quickly and that we humans enjoy the progress in the activity itself more than a simple reward waiting for us "at the finish line".
Listen up, dear UX and CX managers:
Commitment & loyalty cannot be bought. It develops over time in conjunction with an activity that has 'stored value' through our personal interaction with it.
Share this with someone for whom the commitment of employees or customers is important. ♻️