Issue 01 · Human causal atlas
A public causal atlas of human biology, behavior, status, and lifestyle. We map the real mechanisms, the feedback loops, and the smoke.
1-edge paths
123
2-edge paths
133
3-edge paths
99
Figure 1
Click a shape to open the variable. Drag it to move it. A line opens the edge. The "Free" layout lets the graph arrange itself; "Strata" groups variables by layer.
Solid curves are a mechanism, a genetic claim, or a loop. Dashed is smoke. The mark on the curve is the sign: + increases, − decreases, ~ non-linear, ? conditional, 0 null. A heavier stroke is a lead edge, not a stronger stamp.
The URL is the citation
25(OH)D → Employment
Does vitamin D get you hired?
/inquire?from=vitamin-d&to=employment-status
Power pose → T
Does a pose raise testosterone?
/inquire?from=power-pose&to=testosterone
OT → Trust
Does oxytocin make strangers trust you?
/inquire?from=oxytocin&to=interpersonal-trust
Sleep → T
Does sleep move testosterone?
/inquire?from=sleep-hygiene&to=testosterone
Hormones, micronutrients, and metabolic axes. Measurable biological markers.
Psychology & behaviorRisk, rank, mating, and bargaining. We rely on validated psychological instruments to understand behavior.
Socioeconomic statusIncome, wealth, education, formal power, and networks. These factors often explain associations that look biological at first glance.
Lifestyle & environmentSleep, training, supplements, sun exposure, and alcohol. The daily habits and inputs we can actually change.
The four stamps
Supported by an experiment or a tightly identified design. Read the caveats.
Mendelian randomization. It's a great tool for ruling out environmental factors, though it has its own genetic limitations.
Each side influences the other.
The association disappears when you account for other factors, like socioeconomic status or healthy-user bias.
Cases
Two meta-analyses in the same year. The honest atlas keeps both and refuses the calendar hack.
Biology & endocrinology · Psychology & behavior
High testosterone is not a leadership stack. It is a term in an interaction, and the other term is cortisol.
Biology & endocrinology · Psychology & behavior
Hypergamy is real as a historical average and incomplete as a law. Close the income gap and the market switches toward homogamy.
Socioeconomic status · Psychology & behavior
Two TED-ready hormones. Two failed replications. The atlas keeps the original RCTs and the papers that took them down.
Biology & endocrinology · Psychology & behavior · Lifestyle & environment
Restriction trials move T, cortisol, glucose, and attention. A mattress is not a promotion — and a spray is not a substitute.
Lifestyle & environment · Biology & endocrinology · Psychology & behavior
People who buy omega-3 and vitamin D look employable. The bottles are not why.
Lifestyle & environment · Socioeconomic status · Biology & endocrinology
Featured edges
Observational · Moderate
Higher Cortisol moves Leadership effectiveness only in some conditions. Read the mechanism.
High cortisol is the condition under which 'high T = leader' fails. The internet quote drops this term.
Mendelian randomization · High confidence
A rise in 25-hydroxyvitamin D does not identify a change in Employment status.
Genetic instruments for 25(OH)D do not buy you a job. The observational D–success link was a marker.
Longitudinal / panel · Moderate
Higher Contest outcome (win / loss) increases Testosterone.
Winning a meaningful contest raises T relative to losing. That T change then colors the next contest. A loop, not an arrow.
Meta-analysis · Contested
Higher Estradiol moves Dominance strategy only in some conditions. Read the mechanism.
Cycle-phase 'preference for dominance' is a contested meta-finding, not a hormone dial.
Cite this page
What Causes What. “What Causes What — Separate the mechanism from the smoke..” https://whatcauseswhat.org/ (atlas updated 2026-09-02).