Home › Examples › The Lindy effect examples
The Lindy effect examples
For ideas, books, and technologies, the longer something has already survived, the longer it's likely to keep surviving. Age is evidence of staying power.
What is the lindy effect? Read the full idea →
5 examples of the lindy effect
The classic vs the bestseller A book in print for 50 years will probably outlast this year's hit; it's already proven it endures.
Old tech that won't die Email, the wheel, and plain text keep outliving the trendy tools meant to replace them.
Timeless advice Stoic and proverbial wisdom survives because it's been stress-tested across centuries.
A 100-year-old restaurant Still busy after a century is strong evidence it'll be open next decade too.
Choosing what to read Prefer the book that's lasted generations over the one everyone's hyping this month.
How to spot it in yourself
When choosing what to read or learn, bias toward work that's survived decades over this month's trending title.
Evaluating a tool or method? Favor the one with a long track record unless the new one is dramatically better, not just newer.
Treat very old advice that's still repeated as pre-filtered wisdom — it earned its survival.
Go deeper — get the full book
Loved these examples? Listen to Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb free with an Audible trial — or read it in full.
As an Amazon Associate, Sticky Idea earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. “Listen free on Audible” links to a free Audible Premium Plus trial.
You'll forget most of this by next week.
That's just how memory works. Lock the lindy effect in with a 5-minute active-recall session — spaced repetition, no signup.
Try this idea free →
📌 Remember this
One tap adds it to your review queue — we bring it back right before you'd forget.
Related ideas