Scientific Definition
Living systems minimize surprise to survive.
Plain-English Definition
Living systems minimize surprise to survive.
Feynman Explanation
Order is what life looks like.
Core Principle
Living systems minimize surprise to survive.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Living systems minimize surprise to survive.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Order is what life looks like.
Examples
- Organisms structurally tilted toward predictability.
- Why uncertainty is so deeply uncomfortable.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Reduce unnecessary uncertainty. Tolerate productive uncertainty.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Reduce unnecessary uncertainty. Tolerate productive uncertainty.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
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.
Brain region tracking conflict, error, and effort.
Boredom triggers creative wandering.
Cognitive performance varies predictably with circadian rhythm.
Most biases are efficient heuristics misapplied.
Working memory has limits.
Pausing System 1 to engage System 2.
Familiar information feels true.
Brain network active during rest and mind-wandering — and during creative insight.
Glucose, omega-3s, sleep, and hydration each influence decision quality.
Self-control draws from a limited daily pool. (Contested in lab; observed in life.)
Thinking happens through the body, not despite it.
Aerobic exercise measurably improves executive function.