Scientific Definition
Under threat, the prefrontal cortex goes offline.
Plain-English Definition
Under threat, the prefrontal cortex goes offline.
Feynman Explanation
Most strategic decisions are made by a more primitive brain than leaders realize.
Core Principle
Under threat, the prefrontal cortex goes offline.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Under threat, the prefrontal cortex goes offline.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Most strategic decisions are made by a more primitive brain than leaders realize.
Examples
- Performance reviews that trigger fight/flight responses.
- Why direct critique often produces worse subsequent work.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Psychological safety as a performance lever, not a 'nice to have.'
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.
- Psychological safety as a performance lever, not a 'nice to have.'
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
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Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Cumulative physiological wear from chronic stress.
Emotional override of rational processing.
Stress hormone with cognitive and immune-system consequences.
Autonomic nervous system shapes safety, threat, and connection responses.
Threats to identity activate strong defensive responses.
Threats to status trigger the same neural alarm as physical threats.
Naming an emotion reduces its intensity.
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.