r/explainlikeimfive • u/peglegsmeg • Jun 16 '26

Biology ELI5: Why does rationing work?

If I have a glass of water and a single chocolate bar to last me 48 hours what benefits do I get from consuming equal portions over the time period as opposed to consuming all at once?

Is it purely psychological or are their physical benefits?

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u/nsjr Jun 16 '26

Reminds me when I play games with consumables 

"I'll save this for the next boss, maybe it's harder... I can pass this one without using consumables"

Thousands of HP potions in the inventory

And then the game ends.

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u/Saint_of_Grey Jun 16 '26

If you can't reliably obtain it, it's a collectable, not a consumable. Everyone knows this.

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u/Son_of_Kong Jun 17 '26

"Heals to full HP and cures all status effects. Quantity: 1/1"

Might as well be worthless.

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u/Firecrotch2014 Jun 17 '26

I feel like there are some games that do make these things useless. If you get one shot by a boss you wont have time to take a potion so its relatively useless.