Scientific Definition
Endless choice and swipe loops reduce commitment and increase dissatisfaction.
Plain-English Definition
Endless choice and swipe loops reduce commitment and increase dissatisfaction.
Feynman Explanation
The next swipe is always cheaper than the next conversation.
Core Principle
Endless choice and swipe loops reduce commitment and increase dissatisfaction.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Endless choice and swipe loops reduce commitment and increase dissatisfaction.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Optionality-as-product corrodes outcome quality.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
The next swipe is always cheaper than the next conversation.
Examples
- Documented decline in match-to-relationship rates.
- Optionality-as-product corrodes outcome quality.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Slow-dating UX. Outcome-aligned business models.
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.
- Slow-dating UX. Outcome-aligned business models.
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.
Being visibly busy signals importance regardless of actual output.
Punitive online discourse makes nuanced disagreement personally costly.
Fame as a goal rewards spectacle over substance.
Curated highlight reels make ordinary lives feel insufficient.
Region-average rent subsidies inadvertently fund consolidation of poverty into resource-poor cores.
Celebrating overwork normalizes burnout and crowds out rest, family, and craft.
Tribal identity markers reward in-group loyalty over coalition-building.
Public metrics tie self-worth to engagement, training behavior toward what performs.
Audience attention rewards alarming framings, distorting perception of risk.
Optimizing tools and systems can become a sophisticated form of avoiding hard work.
Funding rules force districts to add sugary sides to hit caloric minimums.
Discount framing nudges people to buy things they wouldn't otherwise want.