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The Incentives Lab
HBT-COG-0111 · Dimension COG · Cognition

Brandolini's Law

The energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.

Reasoning·Mental Model·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

The energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.

Plain-English Definition

The energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.

Feynman Explanation

Lies run sprints. Truth runs marathons.

Core Principle

The energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.

Mechanisms

Psychological

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Economic

The energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Misinformation is an asymmetric threat to every organization.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

Lies run sprints. Truth runs marathons.

Examples

Everyday
  • A false claim spreads in minutes; the correction takes days and never reaches everyone.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Misinformation is an asymmetric threat to every organization.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Invest in rapid, credible response teams and pre-bunked narratives.

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
Misinformation is an asymmetric threat to every organization.
Amplifying Incentives
Misinformation is an asymmetric threat to every organization.
Org Failure Modes
Misinformation is an asymmetric threat to every organization.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Invest in rapid, credible response teams and pre-bunked narratives.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Invest in rapid, credible response teams and pre-bunked narratives.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Invest in rapid, credible response teams and pre-bunked narratives.
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-0111 · COG
Brandolini's Law
BLAbAbstractionsABAdaptive BiasABAdditive BiasAAAffirming a DisjunctADAgent DetectionARAlder's RazorAlAlgorithmsAMAll Models Are WrongABAllegiance BiasAFAnecdotal Fallacy

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

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