Research
Research / Behavioral Science

Humans Aren'tRational

AI gives logically correct advice that humans won't follow. We bake in decades of behavioral science—so our analysis actually works in the real world.

90%
Decisions Are Intuitive
System 1 thinking (Kahneman)
The Problem

Logically Correct,Behaviorally Useless

Generic AI Advice

"You should exercise regularly for better health."

Logically true. Nobody does it.

"Save 20% of your income for retirement."

Mathematically correct. Ignored.

"Don't let emotions affect your decisions."

Impossible. Emotions ARE decisions.

Why It Fails
Ignores System 1
Most decisions are made in milliseconds, not spreadsheets
No persuasion principles
Doesn't use reciprocity, commitment, social proof
Assumes rational actors
Humans are rationalizing, not rational
Missing emotional triggers
Logic doesn't motivate—emotion does
Key Thinkers

What Behavioral ScienceTells Us

A century of research on how humans actually make decisions. These are the ideas that shaped the field.

Robert Cialdini
Influence (1984)
Six principles of persuasion

Reciprocity, commitment, social proof, authority, liking, scarcity—the levers that move human behavior.

"People will do things they see others doing."

Daniel Kahneman
Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011)
System 1 & System 2 thinking

Most decisions are made by gut instinct (System 1), not careful analysis (System 2). AI ignores this.

"We can be blind to the obvious, and we are also blind to our blindness."

Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends (1936)
Human relations fundamentals

People act based on emotion, then rationalize. Understanding this changes everything.

"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion."

Combined: 50M+ copies sold, Nobel Prize, foundational texts
Cialdini's Framework

Six Principlesof Influence

The levers that move human behavior—now integrated into every SOAR perspective.

01

Reciprocity

People feel obligated to return favors

Risk sees when you're being manipulated by it
02

Commitment

Once committed, people stay consistent

Signal uses this to lock in momentum
03

Social Proof

People follow what others do

Affect reads the room
04

Authority

People defer to experts

Risk questions false authority
05

Liking

People say yes to those they like

Affect builds rapport
06

Scarcity

People want what's rare

Opportunity spots artificial urgency
Applied Science

How SOARUses This

Each perspective is trained to recognize and apply behavioral science in real-time.

S
Signal
Uses commitment & urgency
O
Opportunity
Spots social proof & scarcity tactics
A
Affect
Reads liking & reciprocity dynamics
R
Risk
Questions authority & false consensus

The result: Analysis that accounts for how people actually behave, not how they should behave. Advice that works in the messy, emotional, irrational real world.

The Result

Advice ThatActually Works

Generic AI Response

"You should ask your boss for a raise. Present data showing your contributions and market rate comparisons. Be prepared to negotiate."

Logically correct. Ignores power dynamics, timing, emotional state, relationship history.
SOAR Response (Behavioral Science Applied)
S
Timing matters: After your next win, not cold. Use commitment—get them agreeing to small things first.
O
Social proof angle: "I've had three recruiters reach out this month..."
A
Liking principle: How's your relationship? A coffee first might be worth more than a spreadsheet.
R
Watch for false authority—HR "policies" are often negotiable. Don't accept the first no.

Psychology ThatGets Results

Stop getting advice that ignores human nature. Start getting analysis built on decades of behavioral research.