Scientific Definition
A mental shortcut that substitutes a hard question with an easier one.
Plain-English Definition
A mental shortcut that substitutes a hard question with an easier one.
Feynman Explanation
Mostly right, occasionally catastrophic.
Core Principle
A mental shortcut that substitutes a hard question with an easier one.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
A mental shortcut that substitutes a hard question with an easier one.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Most executive judgment under uncertainty runs on heuristics, not analysis.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Mostly right, occasionally catastrophic.
Examples
- 'Is this safe?' becomes 'Does this feel familiar?'
- Most executive judgment under uncertainty runs on heuristics, not analysis.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Name the heuristic out loud. Then check whether it fits this case.
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.
- Name the heuristic out loud. Then check whether it fits this case.
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.
When choosing between two options, the one you recognize is judged more positively.
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.