Scientific Definition
Public metrics tie self-worth to engagement, training behavior toward what performs.
Plain-English Definition
Public metrics tie self-worth to engagement, training behavior toward what performs.
Feynman Explanation
Your self-image now lives in a chart.
Core Principle
Public metrics tie self-worth to engagement, training behavior toward what performs.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Public metrics tie self-worth to engagement, training behavior toward what performs.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Default visibility of metrics shapes user identity.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Your self-image now lives in a chart.
Examples
- Documented mental-health impacts of public counts.
- Default visibility of metrics shapes user identity.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Hide counts by default. Private engagement modes.
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.
- Hide counts by default. Private engagement modes.
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.
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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.
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.