AI reviewed · sources pending. Book associations have not been verified.
Negative feedback
ConceptA feedback response counteracts a deviation or change.
Explanation or usage
A negative, or balancing, feedback loop returns information about a system's state to a process that opposes the change. This can stabilize a variable near a target when the response is appropriately timed and strong. Long delays or excessive responses can still produce oscillation; negative describes direction, not whether the outcome is desirable.
Common misunderstandings
Negative feedback means criticism, harm or guaranteed stability.
In Thinking in systems
General context reviewed · book attribution and sources pending
Balancing loops oppose changes in stocks or goal gaps; a thermostat is an illustrative model.