Scientific Definition
Willpower fails; structure works.
Plain-English Definition
Willpower fails; structure works.
Feynman Explanation
Don't recruit better people. Design the better path.
Core Principle
Willpower fails; structure works.
Mechanisms
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Willpower fails; structure works.
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Inputs (Triggers)
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Outputs (Behaviors)
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Behavioral Signature
Don't recruit better people. Design the better path.
Examples
- Default architecture beats motivational campaigns.
- Change management = environment management.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
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Design Principles
- Engineer the path of least resistance toward desired behavior.
Measurement Approaches
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Evidence
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The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Engineer the path of least resistance toward desired behavior.
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Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Cue → routine → reward.
New habits anchored to existing ones stick faster.
Repeated stimuli produce diminishing response.
Repeated stimuli sometimes produce stronger response.
Naming an emotion reduces its intensity.
Cumulative physiological wear from chronic stress.
Emotional override of rational processing.
Brain region tracking conflict, error, and effort.
We treat AI as more humanlike than it is.
Attention is the most contested resource in modern work.
Task switches leave cognitive residue that degrades performance.
Self-direction is one of the deepest motivational levers.