Scientific Definition
We remember peaks and ends, not the duration in between.
Plain-English Definition
We remember peaks and ends, not the duration in between.
Feynman Explanation
A great finale rewrites a mediocre middle.
Core Principle
We remember peaks and ends, not the duration in between.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
We remember peaks and ends, not the duration in between.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Peak-end shapes NPS more than average satisfaction does.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
A great finale rewrites a mediocre middle.
Examples
- Customer experience design that invests in moments, not minutes.
- Peak-end shapes NPS more than average satisfaction does.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Engineer the peak and the end. Defend them.
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.
- Engineer the peak and the end. Defend them.
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.
How will I feel about this in 10 minutes / 10 months / 10 years?
Inattention or forgetfulness caused by low attention, hyperfocus, or distraction.
Forgetting to compare an offer with the next-best alternative.
Outcomes that could have happened but did not.
Overthinking a situation so that decision-making stalls.
The first number on the table silently sets the range for every number after it.
Tversky & Kahneman's classic: identical outcomes flip from 'risk averse' to 'risk seeking' when framed as lives saved vs. lives lost.
Our perception is shaped by what we selectively pay attention to.
Favoring suggestions from automated systems over conflicting human judgment.
A color appears different depending on adjacent colors.
Decisions are constrained by available information, cognitive limits, and time.
The ability to focus on one voice in a noisy environment.