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On July 8th, in what can only be described as an act of reckless clarity, we published a white paper (grab it here—>) Unified Behavioral Model™ — Read more… listen now.
“Science may be described as the art of systematic oversimplification.” ― Karl Popper
What makes UBM so unique—so different from prevalent behavioral models?
First, let’s clear up a common misconception:
UBM—specifically the Behavior Echo-System (BES)—is a model of behavior, not a model of a person.
People often see the graphic and assume it represents themselves, or a diagram of the human body. It doesn’t.
As Dr. Popper’s statement above suggests, UBM simply articulates how behavior is influenced in the moment and shaped over time—within the system.
Now, here’s the B.I.G. claim:
UBM is falsifiable.
In science, that’s the gold standard.
(Period.)
If a theory can’t be tested or broken, it’s just storytelling. Worse yet, Karl Popper would say it’s non-science.
What’s his core claim?
Science and non-science are divided by a single demarcation: Falsifiability.
UBM asks—check that, insists—“Go for it… Please try to break me.”
Apparently, no other behavior model—certainly not a unified one—has ever done that.
Kind of interesting? Maybe just a bit?
Worth mentioning, at least?
Or dedicating, I don’t know… twenty-plus years to uncovering?
According to Dr. Karl Popper—and as noted in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Karl Popper is generally regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of science of the twentieth century”—if a theory can’t be tested (or broken), it’s just storytelling. Worse, he’d call it “non-science.”
Just to be clear: that’s Dr. Popper, philosopher and trained psychologist, who introduced the idea of falsifiability (and gave us that delightful bit with the Black Swan).
So yeah—if you can’t at least attempt to break it, he says, it doesn’t count.
UBM is so confident in its falsifiability that it’s offering a $1,000 reward to the first person to prove there’s a missing fifth element—one that isn’t reducible or emergent. (See below and bottom for official entry details.)
So far: nearly 500 downloads and…
Nada. Zip. Zilch. NOTHING.
Even the world’s top AIs—ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, DeepSeek—took their shots.
They’ve all struck out.
Attempts include: Time (environmental), Consciousness (emergent from the system), Willpower (embodied environment), Self-Organization (embodied environment—note the “self” in self-organization).
The list goes on, and it’s kind of funny. Google’s Gemini, for example, offered a “someday” quantum property we don’t even know of yet.
Seriously.
Just to be clear: if we don’t know of it yet, and we can’t test it—it’s not a valid fifth element.
DeepSeek’s parting words? Also comical...
“UBM 1. DS 0... Game respects game.”
And, here’s Gemini’s best response after half dozen attempts…
The difficulty in falsification, as intended by the model’s design, is a powerful indicator of its conceptual strength and it’s potential to serve as a TRULY UNIFYING FRAMEWORK FOR BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE. ~Gemini 8/4/2025
Some have argued, “Well, UBM is overly simplified.”
Really?
Then why hasn’t anyone discovered it before—or more accurately, uncovered it and brought it to light?
Surely, by now—150 years in—some behavioral scientist, somewhere in the world, would’ve presented this kind of systematic “oversimplification,” right?
Let’s go over that one more time:
“Science may be described as the art of systematic oversimplification.” ― Karl Popper
This is precisely Dr. Popper’s point: science progresses by oversimplifying—systematically.
Voila: UBM. 👇
“Great theories have simple pictorial representation.”
—Michio Kaku
The Behavior Echo-System (BES): the systematic simplification of behavior.
Which makes it—by definition—the elemental science of behavior.
Allegedly.
Until—and unless—you produce the Black Swan.
(Looking at you, top psych departments—according to U.S. News & World Report, 2025): @StanfordPsych, @HarvardPsych, @UCBPsychology, @UCLPALS, @Psych_at_Yale, @UMichPsych, @UCLA_Psych, @UCSDPsych, @OxfordPsych, @PrincetonPsych.
Please, with all due respect, step right up. 👊 🤙 🙏
Behaviorally speaking, of course, the Behavior Echo-System™ (BES) operates through dynamic feedback loops (systems theory/science) made up of just FOUR ELEMENTAL, interdependent components:
Environment
Your surroundings and your body.Behaviors, Habits, Skills
What you do—or don’t do—in the moment and over time.Stories / Thinking
The meaning-making machine, composed of logic and illogic. (see theArt of Abstract Thought, prior episode)
Emotions & Feelings
Variable, personal salience signals that conduct energy and influence.
Together, these form the essential, irremovable, irreducible core four elements that shape behavior—in the moment and over time. (See the middle concentric circle.)
Think something’s missing?
Believe there’s a fifth, irreducible element?
We have a challenge for you. 👇
BREAKING: Major development in habit tracking—at last, the critics are laid to rest. All the details in Section 7.0 of the Unified Behavior Model™ whitepaper: https://zenodo.org/records/15844153
Keep on trackin’ ✅
~mg
📄 Grab the free habit tracking template: thehabitfactor.com/templates
The Trilogy: WARNING! Do NOT read these books
The Habit Factor®: Habit alignment, momentum and daily wins!
The Pressure Paradox™: Productivity, Performance & Peace of Mind.
EVERYTHING: The stories you tell yourself heavily influence only ‘everything.’
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