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Here are today’s Connections hints and answers for NYT Connections No. 1,227 on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Disney fans, the purple category might be a breeze for you. We’ll give you a hint for each color group first, then reveal today’s Connections answers further down.
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I’ve tested plenty of single-serve coffee makers in my time as a coffee writer. While I ultimately prefer the control a manual pour-over brewer or proper semiautomatic espresso machine offers, I understand the appeal of pod-based systems such as Nespresso and Keurig. Hey, not everyone has the time to learn to pack a perfect puck…
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Our brains have a shrinkflation blind spot: Small changes in package size can be surprisingly difficult to perceive, according to consumer psychologist Aarron Atkinson-Toal.
We watch prices more closely than package sizes: Research shows shoppers react more strongly to a price hike than an equivalent reduction in quantity.
You can make shrinkflation easier to spot: Ignore the package's appearance and compare unit prices, net weights, and item counts instead.
You grab the same bag of chips or box of cereal you always buy. The price looks familiar. The package looks familiar. But there's less inside. Sometimes a lot less.
So why are we so easy to fool?
Aarron Atkinson-Toal, Ph.D., an assistant professor of marketing at Durham University who studies consumer behavior and shopping psychology, recently broke down the psychology behind shrinkflation for Psychology Today.
His explanation is fascinating because shrinkflation doesn't just take advantage of shoppers who aren't paying attention. It also takes advantage of how our brains perceive changes in the first place.
Your brain notices $5.49. It may not notice 1.5 ounces
Think about two ways a cereal company could raise what you're effectively paying. It could increase the price from $4.99 to $5.49. Or it could leave the price at $4.99 and quietly put less cereal in the box.
Atkinson-Toal explains that we're generally much better at detecting the first change than the second. Shelf prices are highly visible and easy to remember, while small differences in the weight and volume are much harder to judge.
There's actually psychology behind this. Atkinson-Toal points to the "just noticeable difference," or JND, which is the threshold at which a physical change becomes large enough for us to perceive it.
Below that threshold, a small reduction may be extremely difficult to notice.
And appearances don't necessarily help. Research cited by Atkinson-Toal has found that people tend to perceive taller containers as holding more than shorter, wider containers, even when their volumes are identical.
That means simply looking at two packages isn't a particularly reliable way to determine which contains more.
Here's why companies have an incentive to shrink
The strategy absolutely appears to work.
Atkinson-Toal highlights 2026 research that examined roughly four million products over a decade.
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Save $3,606: This high-performance EliteBook 8 G1i 14 laptop is yours today for $1,529 when you buy directly from HP’s website. That’s a massive $3,606 off the usual $5,135 retail price, which is a 70% discount.
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Save $150: Right now, you can grab a 256GB SSD M4 Apple Mac Mini for a low price of $649 at Best Buy. This saves you $150 over its usual price of $799. Mac products dominate our list of best tech devices, and previously released models like this one are a great investment if you…
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If you’re ready for Apple’s brand-new iPhone Duo, or you’ve got your eye on the Google Pixel 11 or Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series, clearing out your old devices could help you save. Whether you’ve got an aging phone, an unused tablet or a laptop collecting dust, plenty of retailers and trade-in services will pay you…
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Consumer Daily Reports Article Count: 6611
Environmental News Articles Article Count: 22
Reviews Article Count: 1968
Vehicle News Articles Article Count: 919
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