Welcome back. This is savvy psychologist. I'm Dr. Ellen Hendrickson and I'll help you

meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

Perseverance, especially in the face of adversity, is praised so highly and so often that sometimes we forget there's another option.

This week, by request from listener Seri in Melbourne, Australia, will remember that sometimes

it's best to throw in the towel.

Plus, how not to feel like a failure when you call it quits.

The slogans are countless.

You only get out what you put into it.

I never dreamed of success. I worked for it.

Nothing worth having comes easy.

Even Malcolm Gladwell's 10,000-hour rule claims that the Holy Grail of mastery is achieved only through decades of dedication.

But how often do you hear a slogan that says you've tried hard enough at building your business,

chasing your dream, sustaining your relationship, and now it's time to move on.

Rarely.

And how much blood, sweat, and tears are wasted on hopeless cases a lot.

Maybe you've been there, drained emotionally, financially, or both, but somehow you

can't bear to step away. Why? Well, consider a concept known as the sunk cost fallacy.

It comes from both psychology and economics

and refers to a decision-making bias

that leads us to pour more time, money, effort, or other resources into a project simply because

we've already invested in it. We fall prey to this when the stakes are high, like continuing

to throw money and energy into a clearly doomed business, or low, like forcing

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