Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M0899

Microlife

Microlife
DecideHigh supportDecision Science
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

A unit of risk. 1 Microlife = 30 minutes of life expectancy. Smoking two cigarettes consumes 1 Microlife, and drinking two glasses of alcohol consumes 1 Microlife.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Quantifying health. Monetizing abstract 'health risks'. When you stay up late or overeat, calculate how many 'life coins' you pay tonight. This is more impactful than vague 'smoking is harmful to health'.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

A microlife is a unit of health risk, where 1 Microlife = 30 minutes of life expectancy (smoking two cigarettes or drinking two glasses of alcohol each consumes about 1). It converts health behaviors into gains or losses in life expectancy, making 'health quantification' comparable.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MicrolifeZH · Explicit
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