Scientific Definition
Every unnecessary element in a story must be removed, or it will be expected to matter.
Plain-English Definition
Every unnecessary element in a story must be removed, or it will be expected to matter.
Feynman Explanation
If you mention a gun on the wall, someone will expect it to fire.
Core Principle
Every unnecessary element in a story must be removed, or it will be expected to matter.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Every unnecessary element in a story must be removed, or it will be expected to matter.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Unnecessary details create commitments and distractions.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
If you mention a gun on the wall, someone will expect it to fire.
Examples
- A slide in a deck raises expectations that must be paid off later.
- Unnecessary details create commitments and distractions.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Remove every element that does not serve the core argument.
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.
- Remove every element that does not serve the core argument.
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.
Deriving general rules from specific examples; the leap from instance to concept.
The brain evolved to reason adaptively, not always truthfully, to reduce the cost of errors.
We solve problems by adding, even when subtracting would be better.
Assuming that if one option is true, another must be false, when both can be true.
Presuming a purposeful actor behind events that may have no actor at all.
What cannot be settled by experiment is not worth debating.
A finite set of well-defined instructions for solving a problem or performing a computation.
Every model simplifies reality; some are still useful.
Researchers favor conclusions aligned with their school, team, or sponsor.
Using personal stories or isolated examples instead of evidence.
Claiming something is true or better because most people believe it.
Assuming something is true because it is probable or possible.