Scientific Definition
We return to a baseline of well-being after gains or losses.
Plain-English Definition
We return to a baseline of well-being after gains or losses.
Feynman Explanation
The raise feels great for six weeks.
Core Principle
We return to a baseline of well-being after gains or losses.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
We return to a baseline of well-being after gains or losses.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
The raise feels great for six weeks.
Examples
- Comp increases stop motivating shortly after they land.
- Pure financial incentives have a half-life.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Layer status, autonomy, mastery, and purpose alongside money.
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.
- Layer status, autonomy, mastery, and purpose alongside money.
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.
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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.
Willpower fails; structure works.