In our time, many of the systems we surround ourselves with are built to amplify effects, create growth, and generate immediate responses. But when we look more closely at nature—and at our own bodies—we see that the most sustainable systems work quite differently. They regulate themselves. They seek balance. They are self-regulating.
What’s the difference?
A self-regulating system works with negative feedback. It counteracts change and tends to restore equilibrium. When something gets too much, counterforces are activated that reduce the effect. A classic example is the body’s blood sugar regulation: when blood sugar rises, insulin is released to help lower it again.
A self-reinforcing system, on the other hand, works with positive feedback. It reinforces what is already happening. If the temperature rises in a room without a thermostat, the heat will just keep increasing until something collapses. The same is true in our social, economic, and technological systems.
Social media, a self-reinforcing machine
A clear example of self-reinforcing effects in our everyday lives is social media. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are built with algorithms that reinforce what we are already watching. They give us notifications, likes and tailored feeds that trigger our reward system, which makes us keep scrolling. The more time we spend on them, the more the behavior is reinforced.
Content that stands out, things that are a little crazy, extreme or dangerous, get the most attention. This leads to viral “challenges” that are increasingly limitless. In these digital environments, there are no natural brakes. In contrast, in real social contexts, people’s reactions function as self-regulating mechanisms. If we misbehave in a room full of people, we quickly find out. We feel shame, criticism or exclusion and correct our behavior, which is mostly good.
The body is a masterpiece of self-regulation
Our body is full of self-regulating systems: body temperature, fluid balance, hormones and blood sugar. But these systems are disrupted when we build in external self-reinforcing factors such as access to cheap, sugary, ultra-processed food. We are overstimulated, and our natural mechanisms collapse.
Imagine if we also introduced self-regulating systems at the societal level: for example, a dynamic sugar tax that automatically increases when sugar consumption in the population rises. This would dampen supply and help the body regain its self-regulating balance.
Nature’s slow but stable logic
Self-regulating systems are everywhere in nature. A predator that overconsumes its prey population reduces its own chance of survival. But after a while, the system returns to balance. This is what makes natural ecosystems robust – even if they sometimes wobble. But if we do not build in these balancing mechanisms from the start, the systems become unmanageable and can quickly destabilize with irreversible results.
Economic blindness
We have long trained ourselves to maximize self-reinforcing systems to gain market share, increase profits and go viral. It feels powerful. A viral post can create thousands of new customers. But we have turned a blind eye to the flip side: self-regulating systems, such as our mental health, the climate or biodiversity, cannot handle that pressure in the long run.
The result? Exhaustion, polarization, ecological collapse. We must stop glorifying self-reinforcing growth and instead start building structures that slow down, balance and feedback.
Nature is the largest system of all
All our technical, economic and social systems are embedded in an even larger system: nature (Yes, there are even larger systems such as the universe, but we can rarely influence them in a meaningful way). When we push nature’s systems too hard through overconsumption and emissions, its self-regulating mechanisms stop working. The tundra releases methane gas. Forests die in drought. Then the system enters a self-reinforcing mode, which leads the system towards collapse.
But with circular resource management and a conscious construction of feedback systems where resources are reused and consumption is kept in check, we can create a more stable balance. It is not technology that we lack, but the will to create resilience in the design of the systems.
The balance of creativity
This also applies at the individual level. Creativity and innovation are fantastic driving forces – but these too need self-regulation. Too little creativity leads to stagnation. Too much, without direction or feedback, leads to chaos, burnout or meaninglessness.
So the question is: what do you do to create a self-regulating system around your own creativity? How do you recover? How do you balance inspiration with reflection, action with rest?
Time to build with balance
Self-regulating systems are not as flashy as self-reinforcing ones, but they build long-term stability. We need to start thinking more like nature: in balance, cycles and feedbacks. We need to stop chasing exponential growth and instead create conditions for equilibrium. For our body, for our society, for our climate, and for our future.
