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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0044 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Appeal to Emotion

Substituting feeling for argument.

Emotion Fallacy·Logical Fallacy·Grade B·stub· enriching…

Scientific Definition

Substituting feeling for argument.

Plain-English Definition

Substituting feeling for argument.

Feynman Explanation

Manufactured outrage is also outrage.

Core Principle

Substituting feeling for argument.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Substituting feeling for argument.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

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

Manufactured outrage is also outrage.

Examples

Everyday
  • Closing a strategy debate with a personal anecdote instead of data.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Decisions made on vibes, defended as conviction.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

Pending editorial review.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 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
Decisions made on vibes, defended as conviction.
Amplifying Incentives
Decisions made on vibes, defended as conviction.
Org Failure Modes
Decisions made on vibes, defended as conviction.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Diagnostic Questions

Pending editorial review.

Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
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-COG-0044 · COG
Appeal to Emotion
ATATAppeal to FearATAppeal to PityATAppeal to SpiteAHAd HominemATAffirming the Conseq…AEAnecdotal EvidenceATAppeal to AuthorityATAppeal to Common SenseATAppeal to ConsequencesATAppeal to Ignorance

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

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