Scientific Definition
Dread weighs roughly double in our calculus what the equivalent gain does.
Plain-English Definition
Dread weighs roughly double in our calculus what the equivalent gain does.
Feynman Explanation
We hate losing twice as much as we love winning.
Core Principle
Dread weighs roughly double in our calculus what the equivalent gain does.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Dread weighs roughly double in our calculus what the equivalent gain does.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Selling change requires defusing dread, not just promising gain.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
We hate losing twice as much as we love winning.
Examples
- Why customers resist switching even when alternatives are clearly better.
- Selling change requires defusing dread, not just promising gain.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Address loss aversion explicitly in change communication.
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.
- Address loss aversion explicitly in change communication.
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.
Frequent evaluation amplifies loss aversion and produces overly conservative behavior.
Preferring options with known probabilities over options with unknown ones.
We overweight outcomes that are certain relative to merely probable ones.
Convex payoffs gain more than they lose; concave do the opposite.
Influence tactics weaponized — manipulation, coercion, exploitation of trust.
Build buffers so small mistakes don't become fatal.
The moment after which reversing a course becomes impossible or extremely costly.
We overweight tiny probabilities of large gains or losses.
We ignore probability when outcomes are emotionally charged.
People take more risks when they feel safer.
Risk has known probabilities. Uncertainty doesn't.
Risk decisions are driven by current emotion — not just by computed probabilities.