Glossary
Behavior cost
What is behavior cost?
Behavior cost is the total burden a person must bear to perform a behavior, including time, effort, money, cognitive load, social risk, and emotional discomfort. This is a broad descriptive use of the term, rather than a single standardized measure.
How it works
These demands can differ across people and circumstances. In Fogg’s explanation of ability, difficulty depends partly on the resources available at the time of action. A ten-minute form may be easy to complete at a quiet desk and difficult when you are tired, distracted, or holding a child. The form is the same; the demand it places on you is not.
Applied example
A gym that is 20 minutes away has a higher travel-time cost than one that is 5 minutes away, even if the farther gym is cheaper and better equipped. The travel time illustrates one potential cost. The overall choice also depends on price, equipment, preferences, and other circumstances.
Why it matters
Before asking for more motivation, look at what the action costs the person. Can the trip be shorter, the form simpler, or the equipment easier to reach? If the burden remains too high, a different behavior may achieve the same goal with less strain. Motivation and preferences still matter; reducing cost is not a universal substitute for them.
Behavior cost versus response cost
A different technical meaning appears in BCT Taxonomy v1: technique 14.1 withdraws something valued after unwanted behavior, sometimes called response cost. This consequence-based technique should not be confused with the effort needed to act.