The Domino Effect: Small Things Create Big Results

Physicist Lorne Whitehead of the University of British Columbia demonstrated in a study released in 1983 that a single domino can topple one that is 50% larger. This finding was a dramatic and simple illustration of exponential growth, as if it were a nuclear chain reaction. This straightforward but powerful experiment demonstrated that a minor force can initiate an enormous volume of energy in a chain reaction. Whitehead’s discovery is not just a physical principle, but also an excellent metaphor for being able to do great things in life through small steps.

For this experiment, a minor domino, which is merely 10 millimeters high, is triggered by a light cotton swab. This first domino itself knocks over a domino 50% larger, and so on. When this series reaches the 13th domino, it is 64 times the size of the original domino. Throughout the process, the energy required to knock over the first domino increases to billions of times when the last domino falls.

Domino Effects in Life

Domino effect or chain reaction is the combined effect that is caused by one event leading to a series of similar events. We can observe the same effect in our day-to-day life. One small day-to-day habit can create a significant change over a period of time. Small habits such as waking up early in the morning, reading one page of a book on a daily basis, or acquiring a new skill can go a long way to impact our careers, relationships, and personal lives in the long term. One small change in one behavior will create a chain reaction and lead to alteration in other behaviors that are related to it. That is to say, small and persistent actions result in larger and more significant outcomes.

Whatever it may be, however small it may appear at first, the very first step you make can start a giant success at the end of the chain. Thus, never downplay the power of little actions to reach your objectives. Just like the domino effect‘s power, these small steps will eventually have much greater outcomes.