When I’m working on a particular product feature, I often have the subconscious desire to take up as much space as possible in the product so my feature can make its mark. Maybe I can use a full-screen NUX (New User Experience) to introduce my feature, or even update the navigation of the app to highlight it.
This is also true for features without UI. Your formula might replace “pixels” with something along the lines of effort, complexity, etc.
After all, screen pixel are just that: additional user complexity and cognitive load.