Scientific Definition
If-then plans dramatically increase follow-through on intentions.
Plain-English Definition
If-then plans dramatically increase follow-through on intentions.
Feynman Explanation
'I'll exercise more' fails. 'When I finish coffee, I'll walk' works.
Core Principle
If-then plans dramatically increase follow-through on intentions.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
If-then plans dramatically increase follow-through on intentions.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Strategy execution improves with concrete trigger-action pairs.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
'I'll exercise more' fails. 'When I finish coffee, I'll walk' works.
Examples
- Voter turnout, exercise adherence, medical compliance all rise with if-then plans.
- Strategy execution improves with concrete trigger-action pairs.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Translate goals into if-then statements at the decision level.
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.
- Translate goals into if-then statements at the decision level.
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.
Giving someone artificial early progress increases the chance they finish.
Temporal landmarks (Monday, January, birthday) trigger new behavior attempts.
What people expect of themselves shapes what they achieve.
Children who delay gratification at age 4 show better outcomes across nearly every metric decades later.
Contrast vivid future success with concrete present obstacles to drive action.
Interrupted tasks generate a pull to resume them.
Wish → Outcome → Obstacle → Plan. A goal-setting protocol from Oettingen.
Unfinished tasks stick in working memory more than completed ones.
Pre-committing the exact when, where, and how of a behavior — 'if X, then Y.'
How will I feel about this in 10 minutes / 10 months / 10 years?
Basics first (health/finances), then depth (mastery/impact), then altruism (widening circle).
A group decides on a course of action that nobody actually wants, because everyone assumes others prefer it.