Scientific Definition
Believing others are motivated by extrinsic rewards while we are motivated intrinsically.
Plain-English Definition
Believing others are motivated by extrinsic rewards while we are motivated intrinsically.
Feynman Explanation
'They want money. I want meaning.'
Core Principle
Believing others are motivated by extrinsic rewards while we are motivated intrinsically.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Believing others are motivated by extrinsic rewards while we are motivated intrinsically.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Incentive design built on this bias misses what actually motivates.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
'They want money. I want meaning.'
Examples
- Managers assuming employees only want pay; employees wanting purpose too.
- Incentive design built on this bias misses what actually motivates.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Survey actual motivation. Don't assume the asymmetry.
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.
- Survey actual motivation. Don't assume the asymmetry.
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.
Anything — monetary or not — that shifts the expected payoff of an action.
Scarcity (of money, time, bandwidth) narrows attention and degrades decision quality.
Less available = perceived as more valuable.
Audience attention rewards alarming framings, distorting perception of risk.
We attribute our own actions to situations but others' actions to their character.
Free products monetize attention, structurally aligning incentives against user time well spent.
We favor people who are similar to us or who like us.
Systematic errors in explaining the causes of behavior — yours or others'.
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.
Faces and brands look more appealing in a group than individually.