A General Law of Behavioral Dynamics: Stickleback Archetypal Behaviors

Despite over a century of foundational work in ethology, behavioral neuroscience, and psychology, no general law has been formalized that predicts behavior across species. Drawing from Tinbergen’s classic experiments and integrating phylogenetic, neuroendocrine, and cultural data, this article proposes a universal behavioral equation:Behavior = A × D × CThis ARCH equation is tested against empirical findings on male stickleback aggression and courtship as archetypal behaviors demonstrating its explanatory and predictive power. The synthesis establishes the ARCH model as a candidate for a general behavioral dynamics law, grounded in biological and cross-species data.