MENTAL MODEL · M1494

Brandolini's Law

StructureHigh supportLogic

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Also known as the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle. The energy required to refute nonsense is an order of magnitude higher than that required to produce it. It's easy to spread rumors but hard to refute them.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Stop-loss mechanism. Don't try to refute every wrong opinion online. It's a losing war of attrition. The only way to deal with nonsense is to ignore it or use mockery (dimensionality reduction), not logic (high-cost attack).

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Brandolini's Law (Bullshit Asymmetry Principle) states that the cost of producing misinformation/lies is extremely low (just opening your mouth), while refuting each point requires fact-checking, organizing arguments, and fighting confirmation bias, costing an order of magnitude more. There is an asymmetry in the information battlefield—fallacies replicate with lower energy, and rational rebuttal is at a structural disadvantage.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

Recognize this is a 'losing war of attrition'—logical refutation point by point is extremely low in cost-effectiveness
Prioritize stop-loss: ignore, flag, or downrank rather than engage in a fight
When necessary, use concise mockery/signals (dimensionality reduction) rather than lengthy logic
Reduce the spread of nonsense at the source (credible sources, prevention mechanisms).

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

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Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandolini's_lawZH · Explicit
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