Reactance
We do the opposite of what we are told when we feel our freedom is being restricted.
Reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal (a negative emotional reaction) that arises when people experience a threat to or loss of their free behaviors. It is the tendency to want something more if told they cannot have it. The theory was developed by psychologist Jack Brehm in 1966. Warnings like 'You cannot do X' often provoke the very behavior they are trying to prevent.
What it looks like in the wild.
- Everyday life Forbidden Fruit Effect Books and records banned by governments or religious authorities often see massive surges in interest and sales.
- Everyday life Teen Curfews Strict curfews can trigger reactance in teenagers, making rule-breaking feel more appealing than it otherwise would have.
Recognising a definition is not the same skill as spotting it.
Two scenarios from the app, with distractors drawn from the same family of biases — which is what makes them hard.
A public health poster says 'Stop Smoking Today—It's an Order.' A smoker, feeling their personal choice is being attacked, lights up a cigarette right in front of the poster.
A boss assigns a new, rigid procedure for all reports. A longtime employee, who felt the old way worked fine, starts deliberately using the old format, thinking, 'They can't make me.'
Biases rarely arrive alone.
Understand more. Assume less.
188 biases, 18,869 scenarios, and a record of how you actually decide.
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