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The Incentives Lab
HBT-SOC-0019 · Dimension SOC · Social

Liking Bias

We're more persuaded by people we like.

Social Bias·Cognitive Bias·Grade B·draft· enriching…

Scientific Definition

We're more persuaded by people we like.

Plain-English Definition

We're more persuaded by people we like.

Feynman Explanation

The right vendor with the wrong rep loses to the wrong vendor with the right rep.

Core Principle

We're more persuaded by people we like.

Mechanisms

Psychological

We're more persuaded by people we like.

Behavioral Economic

Pending editorial review.

Neurological

Pending editorial review.

Evolutionary

Pending editorial review.

Sociological

Pending editorial review.

Computational

Pending editorial review.

Systems

Pending editorial review.

Inputs (Triggers)

Pending editorial review.

Outputs (Behaviors)

Pending editorial review.

Behavioral Signature

The right vendor with the wrong rep loses to the wrong vendor with the right rep.

Examples

Everyday
  • Procurement quietly favors the supplier the team enjoys working with.
Modern (Organizational)
  • Decisions influenced by relationships more than results.
Historical

Pending editorial review.

Famous Experiments

Pending editorial review.

Design Principles

  • Blind scoring. Decisions made before relationships deepen.

Measurement Approaches

Pending editorial review.

Evidence

Evidence Grade
B (A strongest → E speculative)
Replication
★★★☆☆
Intervention Confidence
3 / 5
Consensus
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Limitations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Open Research Questions

Pending editorial review.

Primary References

Pending editorial review.

Signature Section

The Perverse Incentive Lens™

How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.

Exploitation
AI partner chosen because the AE is charming.
Amplifying Incentives
Decisions influenced by relationships more than results.
Org Failure Modes
Decisions influenced by relationships more than results.
Societal Failure Modes
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Ethical Considerations
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Redesign Strategies
Blind scoring. Decisions made before relationships deepen.
Diagnostic Questions
  • Blind scoring. Decisions made before relationships deepen.
Warning Signs

Pending editorial review.

Red Flags

Pending editorial review.

Intervention Playbook
Individual
Blind scoring. Decisions made before relationships deepen.
Team
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Organization
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Policy
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
AI Implications
Detection
AI partner chosen because the AE is charming.
Measurement
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Mitigation
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).
Responsible Use
Pending editorial review (HBT v1.0 auto-seed).

Interactive Mini Network

Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.

HBT-SOC-0019 · SOC
Liking Bias
LBABAuthority BiasBEBandwagon EffectBPBikeshedding (Parkin…BEBystander EffectCCCommitment & Consist…COCurse of KnowledgeFCFalse Consensus EffectFAFundamental Attribut…GEGolem EffectHEHalo Effect

Knowledge Graph Neighbors

Version History

v1.1.0 · 2026-06-28Initial auto-seed from corpus.