Feedback loops are everywhere. Our actions produce results that help inform our next actions.
It’s important to distinguish between different types of feedback loops though.
There are reinforcing feedback loops, and there are balancing feedback loops. The former helps us strive for better, the latter for moderation.
Say you’re learning a new language and you use a new phrase in conversation. It gives you a confidence boost and inspires you to continue learning. That’s a reinforcement loop.
Say you’ve set the temperature in your home to stay constant. Anytime the sensors detect the temperature is too hot or cold, it turns on the heating or cooling systems to bring the home back to its target equilibrium state. That’s a balancing loop.
It’s important to identify the type of feedback loop we’re dealing with; optimising for growth when what we need is balance (or vice versa), can send us down the wrong path.