Humans hate letting down a commitment they made to others, explicit or implicit.

Especially the more people who are aware of the commitment or see it not be met.

Because for people to trust your word you need credibility.

Credibility is the credit you've earned from the precedent of always meeting your commitments.

Your word, your integrity, is your power.

Shame is the powerful emotion baked into our firmware to make us follow through on commitments.

Human arrangements implicitly take advantage of this fundamental brain circuit:

Accountability partners in workouts.

A large guest list at weddings.

Someone twisting your arm to take an action item in front of the boss.

When people follow through on commitments, society is significantly more effective.

People who are low conscientiousness will sometimes not perceive a commitment where others do.

People who are high conscientiousness will sometimes perceive a commitment even where others don't.

This can lead to a shame spiral.

That loop can propel you forward to be constantly improving and collaborative… while being toxic for you as a human.