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The Incentives Lab
HBT-BIO-0063 · Dimension BIO · Biology

Polyvagal Theory

Autonomic nervous system shapes safety, threat, and connection responses.

Stress·Neural Mechanism·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Autonomic nervous system shapes safety, threat, and connection responses.

Plain-English Definition

Autonomic nervous system shapes safety, threat, and connection responses.

Feynman Explanation

Safety isn't a feeling. It's a physiological state.

Core Principle

Autonomic nervous system shapes safety, threat, and connection responses.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Autonomic nervous system shapes safety, threat, and connection responses.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Pending editorial review.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Safety isn't a feeling. It's a physiological state.

Examples

Everyday
  • Why some meetings feel safe and some don't.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Designing meeting and feedback environments for autonomic safety.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Voice, eye contact, predictability, agency.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
2 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
Designing meeting and feedback environments for autonomic safety.
Amplifying Incentives
Designing meeting and feedback environments for autonomic safety.
Org Failure Modes
Designing meeting and feedback environments for autonomic safety.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Voice, eye contact, predictability, agency.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Voice, eye contact, predictability, agency.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Voice, eye contact, predictability, agency.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-BIO-0063 · BIO
Polyvagal Theory
PTALAllostatic LoadAHAmygdala HijackCoCortisolTRThreat ResponseALAffect LabelingACAnterior Cingulate C…AAAnthropomorphism (AI)AAAttention as a Resou…ARAttention ResidueAuAutonomy

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.