Scientific Definition
Unwritten rules that govern behavior in a group.
Plain-English Definition
Unwritten rules that govern behavior in a group.
Feynman Explanation
Most policies are formal apologies for failing to manage norms.
Core Principle
Unwritten rules that govern behavior in a group.
Mechanisms
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Inputs (Triggers)
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Outputs (Behaviors)
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Behavioral Signature
Most policies are formal apologies for failing to manage norms.
Examples
- Tipping norms vary 10× across countries without affecting service quality.
- Culture is the set of norms that survive when leadership isn't watching.
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Famous Experiments
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Design Principles
- Make norms explicit during onboarding; revisit when teams cross 10/50/150 people.
Measurement Approaches
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Evidence
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The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Make norms explicit during onboarding; revisit when teams cross 10/50/150 people.
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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.
We defer to perceived expertise, rank, or uniform.
Membership in a group is a baseline human need.
We say yes more often to people we like.
Cooperation between unrelated agents when future reciprocity is likely.
Stored social capital from prior behavior.
Things feel more valuable when supply or time is limited.
Position in a hierarchy is a primary driver of behavior.
Strong in-group loyalty paired with out-group skepticism.
Shared identity ('we') drives compliance harder than shared interest.
Clear ownership of outcomes, not just tasks.
Asymmetric information attracts the worst counterparties.
Vastness that exceeds existing schemas dissolves the self briefly.