by Professor » Mon May 05, 2014 8:04 am
This reminds me of a psychology experiment that I once heard of. Basically, the moderator starts with 2 people. He initially offers both people $10. Then asks them how they feel about it. If both people agree that it's amenable, then both get the money.
Then, he offers one person $13, and the other person $17. If both agree, then each gets their money. However, if even one person disapproves, then each only gets the original $10.
Surprisingly, many people (don't remember if it was "most" or just "many") disapproved of the second option, because it "wasn't fair." Despite the fact that they would get $3 more, they still turned it down.
This seems like a similar situation. Your boss is offering you more money. But, you might turn it down because SOMEONE ELSE is getting that same amount, even though they worked less.