Skill: huguesgtch/heuristics (version 1.0.0)

--- name: heuristics description: > Master reference for 88 psychological heuristics — the complete leverage list for sales, copywriting, offer design, cold outreach, objection handling, and persuasion. Use this skill whenever working on any stimulus meant to influence human behaviour: cold emails, DMs, VSL scripts, sales call frameworks, proposal copy, landing pages, CTAs, offer structuring, objection rebuttals, or follow-up sequences. Always trigger when the user asks how to make copy more persuasive, how to handle a specific objection, how to frame an offer, how to structure a pitch, or how to get someone to take action. If the task involves getting a human to do something — consult this skill first, every time, without exception. --- # Heuristics — 88 Psychological Levers A full operating system for understanding how humans make decisions and how to craft stimuli that move them to action. ## Core Principle Psychology sets the conditions for what an effective stimulus is. Heuristics are leverageable. Understanding them helps craft stimuli more conducive to action that a human otherwise wouldn't have taken. **These are models of behaviour — not binary rules. Not all apply in every situation. Pick the relevant ones. Don't overdo it (M34).** --- ## Priority Rules | Priority | Heuristic | When | |---|---|---| | Always | **#1 Reward/Incentives** | Every piece of copy — address the offer/incentive first | | Always | **#2 Punishment/Risk** | Every piece of copy — reverse the risk or they don't act | | Live calls | **M2 Frame control** | Any real-time or direct conversation | | Direct interaction | **M7 Understanding bias** | Any situation where trust must be built fast | | Everything else | Pick 3–5 most relevant | Match to stimulus type and target | --- ## How to Apply — Step by Step **Step 1 — Identify the stimulus type** What is being written or designed? (cold email / DM / VSL / sales call script / offer / landing page / CTA / follow-up / objection rebuttal / proposal) **Step 2 — Identify the target** Who is this for? What do they want? What do they fear? What's their likely prior experience with similar offers? **Step 3 — Select heuristics** From the full list, identify the 3–7 most relevant levers. Always start with #1 (what's the incentive?) and #2 (what's the perceived risk of acting?). **Step 4 — Apply without overdoing** Weave the selected heuristics into the stimulus naturally. The output must still feel like a genuine human wrote it. If it reads as slimy or over-engineered, M34 has been violated. **Step 5 — Annotate (optional)** If the user wants to understand what's being used and why, annotate each key phrase or section with the heuristic it's activating. --- ## Quick Reference by Use Case **Cold email / cold DM:** #21 Familiarity, M8 Originality, M18 Pattern break, #35 Subjective validation, M7 Understanding, #9 Curiosity, M3 Persistence, M12 Disarming honesty **Sales call:** M2 Frame control, M7 Understanding, #40 Egocentric bias, #14 Loss aversion, #28 Escalation of commitment, M23 Disqualified identity, M12 Disarming honesty, M14 Conviction, M15 Casual bias, M25 Show n' tell **Offer design:** #1 Incentive, #2 Punishment/risk reversal, #45 Zero risk bias, #36 Scarcity, #37 Urgency, #16 Contrast/anchoring, #41 Anchoring, M26 Lil' bonus, M27 One of a kind, M28 Instruction clarity **Copywriting / landing page:** #33 Illusory truth, #15 Social proof, #17 Authority, #35 Subjective validation, M33 Quantitative specificity, M22 Dramaqueen, M25 Show n' tell, #9 Curiosity, #38 Click-whirr conditioning **Objection handling:** M7 Understanding, M12 Disarming honesty, #40 Egocentric bias, M6 Relatability, M2 Frame control, #8 Commitment consistency, #14 Loss aversion **Follow-up sequences:** #21 Familiarity, M3 Persistence, M4 Graduality, #42 Availability, M19 Mystery, #24 Ben Franklin **Proposal / pitch deck:** #17 Authority, #15 Social proof, M33 Quantitative specificity, #16 Contrast, #45 Zero risk, M25 Show n' tell, M12 Disarming honesty, M28 Instruction clarity --- ## Full Reference The complete 88 heuristics are in `/references/heuristics-full.md`. Structure: - **Part 1** — The Leverage List: heuristics #1–#54 - **Part 2** — Morgan's Heuristics: M1–M34 - **Usage notes** at the bottom Load the reference file when: writing a full piece of copy from scratch, handling an unfamiliar objection type, or annotating a stimulus with heuristic labels. --- ## The 88 Heuristics — Inline Summary ### Part 1 — The Leverage List (#1–#54) **#1 Reward super-response tendency (incentives)** Main driver of human behaviour. People rarely do things without an incentive. *Your offer IS the incentive. Better offer = stronger incentive = more action.* **#2 Punishment super-response tendency** Humans avoid decisions they believe will lead to punishment (lost capital, wasted time, embarrassment). *This is why we reverse risk. No risk reversal = they fear punishment and don't act.* **#3 Influence from mere association tendency** Biased by what something is associated with. Price = quality signal. Authority = result signal. *Price below competitors and prospects associate you with lower quality.* **#4 Liking/loving tendency** More likely to act on something if they like the person asking. *People buy from people they like.* **#5 Disliking/hating tendency** Hate filters everything — even true statements. *If someone hates your approach, they won't schedule even if you can change their life.* **#6 Doubt avoidance tendency** Humans hate sitting with doubt. They make decisions just to escape it — even irrational ones. *Slight doubt = they decide NOT to speak with you, just to eliminate the doubt.* **#7 Inconsistency avoidance tendency** Reluctant to act in ways misaligned with their worldview or self-image. *Get a prospect to schedule a call and remind them of that decision — they'll show up.* **#8 Commitment consistency (confirmation) bias** Seek info that confirms existing perception. Reject what doesn't. *Get a "think about it" prospect to pay a deposit. Confirmation bias does the rest.* **#9 Curiosity tendency** Humans hate having half the picture. They'll act to complete it. *Don't give every piece of info. Curiosity keeps the prospect engaged until the call.* **#10 Kantian fairness tendency** Extremely sensitive to perceived unfairness. *"You work hard but don't make money — you don't deserve to suffer like this."* **#11 Excessive self-regard** Humans believe they are better than others. Overestimate abilities and objectivity. *"I've tried everything" = they believe it worked fine and the thing was the problem, not them.* **#12 Pain avoiding denial** To offset pain, humans enter denial and warp their worldview. *Ads flop. They declare the problem was the platform, not them. Expect this in objections.* **#13 Overoptimism tendency** Expect better outcomes than are rational, overestimate speed of results. *Don't be afraid to write "too good to be true" statements.* **#14 Deprival super-reaction tendency (loss aversion)** Negative emotional weight of loss is ~10× stronger than positive weight of gain. *Position as a get-it-or-lose-it deal.* **#15 Social proof tendency** Base decisions on what other humans do. *Stack social proof everywhere.* **#16 Contrast misreaction tendency** Always compare something to its opposite or anchor. *$1,000 seems expensive vs. $45. Cheap vs. $1,000,000. Control the anchor.* **#17 Authority misinfluence tendency** Assign believability to authority. *Build authority via case studies, LinkedIn, platform partnerships.* **#18 Cognitive closure** Humans like things resolved. Will make decisions just for the sake of closure. *Someone decides on a sales call before speaking to their business partner — just to have closure.* **#19 Cognitive drift** Belief systems change gradually over time with persistent exposure. *Someone believes a 1-call close is impossible, then changes their mind after 11 months of evidence.* **#20 Cognitive dissonance** Struggle to hold two opposing beliefs at once. Resolve through commitment. *Once they're in your system, competing views create dissonance — they resolve by committing to you.* **#21 Familiarity bias** Like, trust, and believe things simply because they are familiar. *Most cold email replies come at follow-up 6+. This is also the entire organic distribution thesis.* **#22 The Ikea effect** Love things they built themselves or ideas they arrived at on their own. *Propose ideas collaboratively. Make them feel involved.* **#23 Reciprocation tendency** Naturally obligated to those who have done them a favour. *Give a payment plan "because you like them." They feel obliged to return the favour.* **#24 Ben Franklin effect** More likely to like and do further favours for people they've already done favours for. *Ask a small favour the day before. Or remind them of favours they've already done.* **#25 Information bias** Wired to seek information before deciding, even when unnecessary. *Control what you reveal and when — don't front-load everything.* **#26 Action bias** Bias towards action. Even if not required, they have an urge to act. *If someone replies "we're all set" — respond with "let's see if there are any small improvements."* **#27 Non-adaptive choice switching (once bitten, twice shy)** Avoid decisions similar to previous ones they regretted. *The word "marketing" in your copy triggers every bad agency experience they've had.* **#28 Escalation of commitment (sunk cost)** Escalate commitment because they've already invested. *60 mins on a call and still hasn't bought = MORE likely to give you 15 more minutes.* **#29 Hot-hand fallacy** Believe someone is "on a roll" based on recent performance. *"The last 3 people to work with us got amazing results." Leverage recency of wins.* **#30 Ambiguity effect** Avoid uncertainty. Won't act on things they can't clearly understand. *If they have to think too hard, they opt out. Make everything unambiguous.* **#31 Status quo bias** Biased toward conserving current ways of doing things. *"Traditional" and "tried and tested" signal respect for the status quo.* **#32 Dunning-Kruger effect** Lacking skill overestimate competence. *"You know what to do" — they feel called out in a flattering way.* **#33 Illusory truth effect** Perceive claims as truer if previously exposed to them. *Repeat your core claim across all stimuli.* **#34 Rhyme as reason effect** More credence to claims that rhyme. *Sounds cheesy. Works anyway.* **#35 Subjective validation** Find claims more true if they have personal meaning. *Cold email describing the exact problems the prospect is facing gets more action.* **#36 Scarcity bias** Biased toward acquiring scarce things. *Cap your offer. Limit how many new clients you take per quarter.* **#37 Urgency bias** More likely to act if inaction has consequences. *"This window closes after [event]. If we don't move now, we miss the opportunity."* **#38 Click-whirr conditioning** Conditioned, knee-jerk responses to familiar patterns. *If your copy looks like every other cold email, it gets reflexively deleted.* **#39 Reason respecting tendency** More likely to do something if there's a reason — even a weak one. *Add "because ___" after every CTA. Any reason increases compliance.* **#40 Egocentric bias** Rely solely on their own perspective. Think they're always right. *Can't attack their idea directly. Use questions and empathy to bypass the ego.* **#41 Anchoring bias** Rely too heavily on the first piece of information received. *Show your high-ticket offer first. Then your lower offer seems cheap by comparison.* **#42 Availability mis-weighing tendency** Default to the option most available to them. *More follow-ups = more available Calendly link = more clicks.* **#43 Frequency illusion (Baader-Meinhof)** After noticing something first, see it more often and conclude it's more frequent. *Once a prospect believes one piece of your social proof, they start seeing it everywhere.* **#44 Barnum effect** Believe vague, general personality descriptions apply specifically to them. *"We love working with hard workers." Even vague praise lands.* **#45 Zero risk bias** Prefer eliminating risk entirely over better risk-reward ratios. *Position your offer as the zero-risk option. Continuing what they're doing is the real risk.* **#46 Humour bias** Act irrationally based on things that make them laugh. *An odd joke lowers guard. Use sparingly.* **#47 Hyperbolic discounting** Prefer small immediate rewards over larger later ones. *Position your offer to produce immediate early wins.* **#48 Ostrich effect** Bury their heads in the sand when trouble is brewing. *"You don't have to worry about it — we've got it." You are the sand.* **#49 Groupthink** Large groups get swept up in collective irrational thinking. *Can be engineered with seeded early signals, then real organic momentum kicks in.* **#50 Recency effect** Things that come last are remembered most clearly. *If a prospect is comparing vendors, be scheduled to pitch last.* **#51 Verbatim effect** Reduce complex encounters to simple memorable summaries — and decide based on those. *What's the one sentence they walk away with? Design for that.* **#52 Envy/jealousy tendency** Get envious when others obtain things they desire. *"Other studios in your space are crushing this — I want to help you do the same."* **#53 Facial attention bias** Trust faces. Attention biased toward images with faces conveying emotion. *Use your face in thumbnails and creative.* **#54 First conclusion bias** Biased toward the first idea discovered. *Show the pricing option you want them to pick first.* --- ### Part 2 — Morgan's Heuristics (M1–M34) **M1. Permission-based mis-influence** Humans like perceived control. Far more likely to agree if asked for permission first. *"Would it be alright if I asked you a couple of questions about your situation?"* **M2. Frame-based misreaction** Emotional states are contagious. Whoever is most persistent in their frame wins. *NEVER enter the prospect's frame of doubt. Set your own frame of extreme confidence and hold it.* **M3. Psychological attrition tendency (persistence)** Persistence decreases the threshold for action. *Never say "this is my last follow-up." Stay persistent until they react.* **M4. Graduality tendency** Some decisions start as unfathomable, then become entertainable with enough gradual exposure. *11 months of one testimonial per month turned a "no way" into "alright you got me."* **M5. Simple digestibility** More likely to act on things that are easy to understand. *Write copy that a young child could understand.* **M6. Relatability bias** If they can relate, they're more vulnerable to influence. *"If you had a perfect-fit prospect, would you give them the price without attaching value first?"* **M7. Understanding bias (THE WEAPON)** Humans who feel understood are immediately more likely to trust. *Mirror their exact thoughts and emotional state back to them. Especially in objection handling. This is a true weapon.* **M8. Originality bias** More likely to respond to stimuli that are original. *Break through click-whirr conditioning. Don't copy what 10,000 others send.* **M9. Creativity bias** Respond better to creative entry-level stimuli. *Creative follow-ups (memes, unexpected formats) stand out. Must still be effective.* **M10. Live up to an expectation bias** Crave living up to expectations set by others. *"I can tell you're the kind of person who acts when they know something makes sense." Now they have to prove you right.* **M11. FOMO bias** Hate missing out when others around them are getting it. *"The last thing I'd want is for someone else to scoop this who might be a worse fit than you."* **M12. Disarming honesty bias** Radical transparency disarms scepticism. *State a hard truth, then segue into your pitch. They believe the pitch because you built trust with the truth.* **M13. Novelty bias (shiny object syndrome)** Excited by new, never-seen-before things. *Position your service as something they will never have seen or tried before.* **M14. Conviction bias** Things stated with confidence are more believable regardless of efficacy. *"This will completely change how your UA performs" — powerful when delivered with full conviction.* **M15. Casual bias** Professionals who are casual about their skills are regarded as more authoritative. *"You need 20 appointments a month. That's 1 a day. That's nothing — we do 20 a day."* **M16. Tried n' tested bias** Find trust and comfort in proven, battle-tested approaches. *"These methods are rooted in principles that have stood the test of time."* **M17. Selfishness tendency** Appeal to their interest, not to reason. *"If you do this, you keep all of it."* **M18. Pattern break bias** Inbuilt pattern recognition instantly categorises familiar stimuli as worthless. *Your entry-level stimulus must break the expected pattern.* **M19. Mystery bias** Something shrouded in mystery creates interest and action. *"It's actually a bit of a secret — but I'd be happy to share it on a call."* **M20. Politeness bias** React well to people who treat them with respect. *Basic politeness goes a long way. Especially in cold outreach.* **M21. Effort perception bias** More vulnerable to persuasion from someone who appears to have put in significant effort. *A personalised page works because of the PERCEPTION of effort.* **M22. Dramaqueen bias** Hyperbole is a powerful tool to amplify problems and dreams. *Exaggerate the problem to make solving it feel urgent.* **M23. Disqualified identity bias** Disqualifying people from an offer makes them more likely to think it's for them. *"This isn't for people looking for a quick fix." Watch them immediately self-qualify.* **M24. Removed self-concerns bias** People have identity concerns that hold them back from deciding. *Remove the concern preemptively. "You don't need to be a technical expert."* **M25. Show n' tell bias** People believe what they see more readily than what they're told. *Don't tell prospects — show them. Proof beats claims every time.* **M26. Lil' bonus bias** Often the difference between acting and not is a tiny tipping-point incentive. *A small unexpected bonus can break the threshold.* **M27. One of a kind bias** If they believe they can only get what they need from you, they'll buy from you. *"You can't get this anywhere else." Must be backed up with WHY.* **M28. Instruction clarity bias** Humans like a clear path. Tell them exactly what happens if they act. *Spell out the next 3 steps with total clarity. Remove all ambiguity from the CTA.* **M29. Exclusivity bias** Like acting on things that make something exclusively theirs. *"If you work with us, we don't work with anyone directly competing with you."* **M30. Hard work bias** Business owners overestimate their work ethic. Leverageable. *"One hard worker to another."* **M31. Trend bias (don't get left behind)** Fall prey to trend bias when they think they can capitalise on the next big thing. *"We're at the start of a massive trend and I want to get you in early."* **M32. Justification bias (why)** Like to understand why things work the way they do. Any reason helps. *"The reason we do it like that is because it works better."* **M33. Quantitative specificity bias** Predisposed to believe specific numbers and statistics. *"83.3% of our clients" reads as more credible than "most of our clients."* **M34. Overdone-it bias (equilibrium warning)** Bias leverage taken too far backfires. Reads as slimy and unnatural. *Pick 3–5 heuristics. Not 30. The output must still feel like a real human wrote it.* --- ## Usage Notes - **#1 and #2 are always in play** — address incentive and risk first in every piece of copy - **M7 (understanding bias) is a master key** — use it whenever trust must be built - **M2 (frame control) applies on all live or real-time conversations** — hold your frame - **The sequence matters**: familiarity (#21) before conviction (M14); curiosity (#9) before authority (#17) - **M34 is the ceiling** — if it starts to feel engineered or slimy, strip heuristics back - When annotating copy, label each key phrase with its heuristic number so reasoning is explicit


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