Mental Models

Applying the Laws of Physics to Human Connection

Why siloed thinking is a trap, how Newton's Third Law dictates our relationships, and the power of embracing what you don't know.

Odin Halvorson

04 Mar 2026 — 4 min read

Photo by Karl Callwood / Unsplash

There is an old Japanese proverb: "A frog in a well knows nothing of the ocean" (井の中の蛙大海を知らず). In our modern intellectual and professional landscapes, it is entirely too easy to become that frog. To silo oneself within a single knowledge area is to cut oneself off from the pluralistic nature of the reality we inhabit. Multidisciplinary, generalist thinking is the direct antidote to this siloed existence.

But to walk this path successfully, one must embrace the role of the Unenlightened Generalist.

I was ten... it suddenly occurred to me that the "equal and opposite reaction" implicit in our stick-fighting didn't just apply to wood and velocity

The goal of the unenlightened generalist is to actively admit to oneself (and to others) that there is always more to learn. Whether you are a specialist or a generalist, it is dangerously easy to grow into an egotistical position of assumed status. The unenlightened generalist fights this by placing curiosity and questioning at the absolute forefront of their intellectual, spiritual, physical, and emotional life.

The Principle of Interconnection

When you function in an interdisciplinary mode, you quickly recognize a fundamental truth: what happens in one area of knowledge interacts with and affects every other area of knowledge. As the great John Muir wrote: "When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe."

This is an exhilarating realization. An idea from physics can become the foundation for a piece of art. A concept from evolutionary biology might transform how you navigate a romantic relationship. A structural trope from creative fiction might give you a bird's-eye view of the conflicts in your own life.

"When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe."

There is simply no point where interdisciplinary knowledge doesn't come in handy. And nowhere is this more evident than when we apply the hard laws of physics to the soft reality of human emotion.

Newton's Third Law of Relationships

I remember stumbling upon this intersection when I was about ten years old. I was at a friend's house in Nevada, California, and we were whacking each other with sticks (as two large boys in love with samurai aesthetics are wont to do).

... Through behavioral symmetry... You have the power to alter the trajectory of a dynamic once it is set in motion.

I was learning about Newton's laws of physics at the time, and it suddenly occurred to me that the "equal and opposite reaction" implicit in our stick-fighting didn't just apply to wood and velocity. It applied to society. It applied to emotional and psychological experiences.

This is the concept I call reflexive reciprocity.

If something is acted upon, it will act back with equal force. Every interaction you have with another human being is a process of behavioral symmetry. If you get angry, they will likely get angry. If you are awkward, they will mirror that awkwardness.

We all carry an unconscious narrative about who we are and where we rank compared to others.

Once you recognize this as a fundamental human nature, a massive door to personal growth opens, as does your ability to move and act well within the world. You have the power to alter the trajectory of a dynamic once it is set in motion. Change is simply a process of motion and emotion over time.

Ego, Status, and the Fear of Foolishness

So, why don't we change our trajectories more often? Usually, it comes down to the self-conscious ego, our narrative self.

We all carry an unconscious narrative about who we are and where we rank compared to others. Often, this results in a deep-seated fear of appearing foolish. If your internal story places your status higher or lower than the people around you, you will constantly find yourself in a subconscious game of one-upsmanship. This invisible status game can, and often does, ruin relationships.

To break this cycle, we must lean into compassion. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), there is a core idea: If Person A can strive to see the world the way Person B does, Person A can begin to understand why Person B acts the way they do. This is understanding someone's Internal Frame of Reference.

We all share the same basic human needs. The complexity of life arises because different people must process the world in dramatically different ways to meet those exact same needs. If you want to understand someone (or change a behavioral dynamic) you must accept that their specific, narrow perspective (their schema, or pattern of behavior) is entirely responsible for their actions. And that goes for you, too. The fun part? Knowing about it makes it possible to act upon it.

Translating the World and Initiating Positive Space

To be an unenlightened generalist is to recognize your own limited frame while constantly seeking out the perspectives of others.

When engaging with the world, especially with highly specialized knowledge, remember Albert Einstein's metric for intelligence: simplicity. Your job is to seek out complex, specialist information in its original form and learn how to break it down and synthesize it into the simplest terms that make sense to you.

But you cannot do this in a vacuum. To have a positive effect on the world, you must actively connect with the people around you.

The most important thing you can do in life is to learn how to be present, aware, and earnestly curious about others. You must attempt to initiate a space that opens the capacity for reflexive reciprocity. Yes, this means you will probably have to go first. You will have to be the one to smile, to extend the olive branch, or to ask the "foolish" question. Do it anyway.

I’m Odin Halvorson, a librarian, life coach, and fiction author. If you like my work and want to support what we do here at Unenlightened Generalists, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter for as little as $2.50 a month!

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