Axioms
297 axioms · page 5 of 7
Thoughts and behaviors can be separated from core identity…
Thoughts and behaviors can be separated from core identity and treated as objects of analysis rather than definitions of self.
Habit automaticity develops along a logarithmic curve…
Habit automaticity develops along a logarithmic curve — rapid early progress followed by diminishing returns as behavior approaches an asymptotic plateau.
Humans discount future rewards hyperbolically, with value…
Humans discount future rewards hyperbolically, with value dropping steeply in the near term and flattening further out.
Self-monitoring of behavior produces significant…
Self-monitoring of behavior produces significant and consistent positive effects on goal attainment.
Temporal proximity between behavior and reward determines…
Temporal proximity between behavior and reward determines the strength of associative learning.
Physical proximity and visibility of objects…
Physical proximity and visibility of objects in an environment determine the likelihood of interacting with those objects independent of conscious intention.
A more probable behavior can reinforce a less probable…
A more probable behavior can reinforce a less probable behavior when access to the former is made contingent on performing the latter.
Specifying when, where, and how a behavior will occur…
Specifying when, where, and how a behavior will occur in advance increases the probability of execution.
Neural pathways that encode habits persist even after…
Neural pathways that encode habits persist even after the behavior stops — habits cannot be deleted, only suppressed or replaced.
Behaviors spread through social networks following network…
Behaviors spread through social networks following network topology up to three degrees of separation.
Wanting and liking are neurologically distinct systems…
Wanting and liking are neurologically distinct systems mediated by different brain pathways.
The three basic psychological needs are autonomy…
The three basic psychological needs are autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and behavior satisfying these needs is more persistent and satisfying than behavior motivated by external rewards.
Extinction does not erase original learning but creates…
Extinction does not erase original learning but creates competing inhibitory associations that overlay it.
A behavioral sequence in progress tends to continue unless…
A behavioral sequence in progress tends to continue unless disrupted, with resistance to disruption proportional to reinforcement history.
The completion of one action can serve as a discriminative…
The completion of one action can serve as a discriminative stimulus (cue) for the next action in a sequence.
Chain reliability is multiplicative — the probability…
Chain reliability is multiplicative — the probability that all links fire equals the product of each link's individual reliability.
Default options determine behavior more reliably…
Default options determine behavior more reliably than information or motivation when individuals take no deliberate action.
Under acute stress, the prefrontal cortex degrades…
Under acute stress, the prefrontal cortex degrades in function while subcortical systems remain operational.
Organisms perceive environments not as abstract physical…
Organisms perceive environments not as abstract physical properties but as action possibilities (affordances).
There is no neutral way to present choices - every…
There is no neutral way to present choices - every arrangement of options influences what people choose.
Emotional suppression increases physiological stress…
Emotional suppression increases physiological stress and impairs memory while failing to reduce internal emotional experience.
Between every event and every emotional response…
Between every event and every emotional response is a cognitive appraisal that interprets what the event means.
Naming an emotion reduces its intensity through increased…
Naming an emotion reduces its intensity through increased prefrontal cortex activation.
There exists a window of approximately 200 milliseconds…
There exists a window of approximately 200 milliseconds between conscious awareness of an initiated action and the point of no return for that action.
Behaviors that produce satisfying consequences tend…
Behaviors that produce satisfying consequences tend to be repeated.
When reinforcement is first withdrawn, behavior temporarily…
When reinforcement is first withdrawn, behavior temporarily increases before declining.
Attempting to suppress an unwanted thought increases…
Attempting to suppress an unwanted thought increases its subsequent frequency through ironic monitoring processes.
Self-efficacy — belief in one's capacity to execute…
Self-efficacy — belief in one's capacity to execute a behavior — is built through acknowledged mastery experiences rather than abstract encouragement.
The brain constructs emotions by predicting what bodily…
The brain constructs emotions by predicting what bodily sensations mean in the current context, based on prior experience and learned categories.
Emotional experience can be mapped onto two independent…
Emotional experience can be mapped onto two independent dimensions: valence and arousal.
Writing about emotional experiences for 15-20 minutes…
Writing about emotional experiences for 15-20 minutes produces measurable improvements in physical health, psychological well-being, and cognitive processing.
Incidental emotions influence decisions with the same power…
Incidental emotions influence decisions with the same power as integral emotions.
Situation selection (choosing which situations to enter)…
Situation selection (choosing which situations to enter) is more effective for emotion regulation than post-situation strategies.
Humans are evolutionarily predisposed to acquire fear…
Humans are evolutionarily predisposed to acquire fear responses to certain stimuli faster and more durably than others.
Humans systematically overestimate both the intensity…
Humans systematically overestimate both the intensity and duration of their emotional reactions to future events.
Behavior-focused negative self-evaluation is psychologically
Behavior-focused negative self-evaluation is psychologically distinct from identity-focused negative self-evaluation.
Guilt motivates approach behaviors while shame motivates…
Guilt motivates approach behaviors while shame motivates avoidance behaviors.
Relational quality is primarily determined by the ratio…
Relational quality is primarily determined by the ratio of turning-toward to turning-away responses to emotional bids, not by the severity or frequency of conflicts.
The autonomic nervous system operates through hierarchically
The autonomic nervous system operates through hierarchically organized circuits that mediate different arousal states.
Emotions prepare the body for specific physical actions…
Emotions prepare the body for specific physical actions through coordinated physiological changes including muscle tension, cardiovascular activation, and hormonal release.
Physical movement can complete physiological action…
Physical movement can complete physiological action sequences that emotions initiate but context prevents from executing.
Earlier interventions in the emotional process are generally
Earlier interventions in the emotional process are generally more effective and less costly than later interventions.
Using second or third-person self-talk creates psychological
Using second or third-person self-talk creates psychological distance from emotional experience and reduces emotional reactivity within one second.
Trauma recalibrates the nervous system's threat detection…
Trauma recalibrates the nervous system's threat detection to treat a wider range of stimuli as dangerous and weakens prefrontal-amygdala connectivity.
Extended exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous…
Extended exhalation activates the parasympathetic nervous system while inhalation activates the sympathetic nervous system.
Regulatory flexibility—the ability to shift between
Regulatory flexibility -- the ability to shift between strategies based on context -- predicts better psychological outcomes than consistent use of any single strategy.
Emotional contagion is an automatic, pre-conscious…
Emotional contagion is an automatic, pre-conscious neurological process by which people mimic and absorb others' emotional states through facial expressions, vocalizations, postures, and movements.
Internal working models of self and others, constructed…
Internal working models of self and others, constructed in early caregiver relationships, persist as default templates for adult close relationships.