curated · working-in

Reinforcing Feedback Loop

An output that increases its own input. Most things worth building are one of these.

Origin: Cybernetics — Norbert Wiener, Jay Forrester, Donella Meadows

systemsmethod

The model

A feedback loop in which an output of a system feeds back into the system in a way that increases the same output. Growth, runaway, virality, compounding. Distinct from balancing loops, which seek equilibrium. The vocabulary comes from cybernetics — Norbert Wiener's 1948 book, then Jay Forrester's system dynamics work, then Donella Meadows' popularisation.

When to reach for it

Designing systems that are supposed to grow over time.
Diagnosing why something is accelerating, for good or for bad.
Building products where retention and momentum matter more than first use.

When not to

For systems you want to remain stable; you want a balancing loop there, not a reinforcing one.
When the apparent acceleration is actually external — do not credit your loop for a tailwind.

In the wild

Polymathy in practice (thread)the writing → thinking → writing loop

Sources

Norbert Wiener — Cybernetics (1948)
Donella Meadows — Thinking in Systems (2008)