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No. 325 · Your own mind · Physics

Relativity

We judge our situation less by absolute standards than by comparison.

Einstein's relativity showed that time and distance are not absolute: they depend on the observer's motion, and moving clocks run slower. As a mental model, it reminds us that people judge their pay, homes and happiness less by absolute standards than by comparison with others.

To use it, choose your comparisons deliberately, measuring yourself against your past and your needs rather than other people's highlights. When managing others, remember every reward is judged relative to peers, so explain your reasoning. And remember that some needs, like health and safety, matter in absolute terms.

In the Almanac

“Einstein’s miracle year”, 1905 · “Gravity Payments”, 2015

Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.

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Questions

What is Relativity?

Einstein's relativity showed that time and distance are not absolute: they depend on the observer's motion, and moving clocks run slower. As a mental model, it reminds us that people judge their pay, homes and happiness less by absolute standards than by comparison with others.

How do you use Relativity?

To use it, choose your comparisons deliberately, measuring yourself against your past and your needs rather than other people's highlights. When managing others, remember every reward is judged relative to peers, so explain your reasoning. And remember that some needs, like health and safety, matter in absolute terms.

When does Relativity matter?

Relativity is one of the 31 mental models for your own mind, the situations where you ask: Is my own thinking leading me astray? Within that, it belongs to “Comparing, following and drifting”, alongside Bandwagon Effect, Gateway Drug Theory and Grass is Greener Mentality.

What is an example of Relativity?

Two stories show it at work: Einstein’s miracle year (1905) and Gravity Payments (2015). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.

Which mental models are related to Relativity?

Frame of Reference, Envy and Jealousy Tendency and Anchoring. Relativity itself comes from physics.