· Slangdunk Editors
What does 가심비 (gasimbi) mean? Paying for how it makes you feel
가심비 (gasimbi) is short for “price-to-psychological-satisfaction ratio”: a twist on 가성비 (value for money) that weighs how a purchase makes you feel. Seoul National University's Kim Nan-do team introduced it in Trend Korea 2018, and it has been a fixture of holiday-gift and premium-food news since.
At a glance
- Meaning
- Short for “price-to-psychological-satisfaction ratio.” For the same money, picking what satisfies you emotionally rather than what performs best.
- Origin
- Seoul National University professor Kim Nan-do's team introduced it in Trend Korea 2018, alongside “placebo consumption” (Korea.kr).
- vs. 가성비
- 가성비 is price-to-performance; 가심비 is price-to-satisfaction. Objective versus subjective.
- In English
- No set translation. “Emotional value for money” or “price-to-satisfaction ratio.”
Our editor's desk holds a few things that are hard to justify. A pen that writes exactly like a 1,000-won ballpoint but cost ten times more; a mug that gets admired, not used. Value for money can't explain them. Then, in late 2017, a Seoul National University research team gave this kind of spending a name.
How did 가심비 spread? A timeline
Around 2017
Anxiety builds
A column by Han Ki-bong on Korea.kr pointed to the Oxy humidifier-disinfectant scandal, the pesticide-tainted egg scare and the sanitary-pad carcinogen controversy as the backdrop: shaken trust made people want to buy reassurance, not just specs.
Late 2017
Trend Korea 2018 names it
Professor Kim Nan-do's team at Seoul National University called value-for-money-plus-feelings “placebo consumption,” after the placebo effect, and introduced 가심비 alongside it in Trend Korea 2018.
Dec 27, 2017
The government's news site predicts it
Korea.kr's roundup of 2018 consumer keywords said 가심비 was expected to matter more than 가성비 in 2018. 소확행 (small but certain happiness) and 워라밸 (work-life balance) were on the same list.
Feb 14, 2018
A reading of deprivation
Han's column argued that 가심비, 탕진잼 (the joy of blowing money) and 있어빌리티 (looking impressive) all rested on a sense of deprivation, as hope that tomorrow would be better faded. It cited a convenience-store part-timer who treated themself to a 98,000-won lunch at a hotel restaurant.
Dec 24, 2021
가심비 at the dinner table
MBC's morning news reported food companies targeting 가심비 demand with premium products. The buzzword had become industry jargon.
Sep 13, 2022
The MZ generation picks it up again
Consumer Evaluation said 가심비 was back among the MZ generation, citing a Korea Chamber of Commerce survey in which 70% said they'd pay 2.5–7.5% more for products from strong ESG companies. A spin-off, 나심비 (dropping price entirely and focusing on “me”), came up too.
Jan 13, 2023
Holiday gifts split in two
KBS Chungbuk reported Lunar New Year gifts splitting into ultra-premium and budget, with retailers told to win either 가심비 or 가성비. The two words now travel as a pair.
What does 가심비 (gasimbi) mean?
가심비
Short for “price-to-psychological-satisfaction ratio.” For the same price, choosing what gives you more satisfaction or peace of mind rather than better performance — or that yardstick itself. A spin on 가성비, value for money.
In Korean: '가격 대비 심리적 만족도'의 줄임말. 같은 값이면 성능보다 마음의 만족이나 안심이 큰 쪽을 고르는 소비.
- 성능은 비슷한데 이 디자인이 너무 좋아. 가심비로 산다Performance is about the same, but I love this design. Buying it on 가심비.At an electronics store
- 가성비는 편의점 도시락인데, 오늘은 가심비로 파스타 먹자The 가성비 pick is a convenience-store lunch box, but today let's go 가심비 and get pasta.Payday lunch
- 좀 비싸도 성분 확인된 걸로 살래. 나한텐 그게 가심비야I'll pay a bit more for one with verified ingredients. That's 가심비 for me.A parent picking baby lotion
- 이건 가심비가 아니라 그냥 충동구매 아니야?Isn't this just impulse buying, not 가심비?To a roommate opening a delivery box
Are you a 가심비 shopper? Five ways to tell
Am I a 가심비 shopper? Tap the ones that apply
0 of 5 checked
Hardcore 가성비. Your shopping cart is always light.
What the timeline shows is that 가심비 didn't come only from having money to spare. It began as spending to ease anxiety; a 2018 column read deprivation into it; by 2022 it had turned into buying your values. It still travels with 소확행 (small but certain happiness), its neighbor on the 2018 keyword list. And if your heart is satisfied but your account has become a 텅장 (an empty account), that's the next chapter of 가심비.
가심비 (gasimbi): frequently asked questions
Q. What does 가심비 mean?
It's short for “price-to-psychological-satisfaction ratio”: for the same price, choosing what satisfies you or reassures you more, rather than what performs better.
Q. How is 가심비 different from 가성비?
가성비 is price-to-performance; 가심비 is price-to-satisfaction. One weighs objective specs, the other subjective feelings. In 2022, Consumer Evaluation argued the line is blurring, since high-quality products tend to satisfy too.
Q. Who coined 가심비?
Korea.kr reports that Seoul National University professor Kim Nan-do's team introduced it in Trend Korea 2018. Whether it was used before the book is unconfirmed.
Q. What's 가심비 in English?
There's no set translation. “Emotional value for money” or “price-to-satisfaction ratio” is the clearest way to put it.
Q. What does 나심비 mean?
It drops even the price from 가심비: spending purely for your own satisfaction. Consumer Evaluation's example: “Let's order something delicious for me, since I worked hard.”
So: 가심비 is the name for choosing with your heart instead of a calculator. The 2017 prediction held up pretty well. Our editor took notes for this piece with that ten-times-pricier pen, and swears it writes differently. If you have a sharper definition, add it to the 가심비 entry in the dictionary.
Sources
See ‘가심비’ in the dictionary — more definitions, examples, and your own take.
Open the dictionary