Every story leaves something out.
That is where the possible lies.

A non-profit think tank in Vienna. With research, consulting and our database, we make visible the assumptions that otherwise operate unnoticed.

ProblemWhen climate action sounds like sacrifice and cooperation like naivety, that rarely lies in the cause itself – more often in assumptions that travel silently.

ApproachWe make them visible and show their effects in the research, so that they no longer decide in the background but become a matter of choice.

AimThen solutions come into view, cooperation succeeds, well-being grows.

Our method

In four steps we show how hidden assumptions can be recognised – and how to choose ones that serve the goal.

Choose an example

“Climate action pays off.”

Talk · Business Allianz Klima · September 2026

Strategically sound – and it activates an assumption that works in the opposite direction.

1Narrative N0004

What keeps being told

Ecological transformation is economically advantageous and serves economic goals.

2Assumption A0021

What is taken for granted

Viewing meaningful action as driven by external pressures and comparison

3Construct C0001

What research measures

Motivation: extrinsic

Mapping rated strong.

4Construct C0022

Associated with

Well-being

Subjective Well-Being

Goes with somewhat lower well-being.

r = −0.22 · 70,110 people

Meta-analysis, Bradshaw et al. (2023), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Scale: association r from −0.7 to +0.7.

“Say openly how serious things are? People can’t be trusted with that.”

Paraphrased · conversation between a ministry and civil society · Vienna 2019

Most people support climate policy. Hardly anyone believes it.

1Narrative N0019

What keeps being told

People cannot bear difficult truths. Sharing them causes apathy or opposition and should be avoided.

2Assumption A0055

What is taken for granted

Viewing the public as unable to bear difficult truths

3Construct C0059

What research measures

Pluralistic Ignorance

Systematic misjudgement of how many others share a position.

4Evidence

Support for climate policy in the US

actual66–80%

estimated37–43%

Representative survey, n = 6,119. Sparkman, Geiger & Weber (2022), Nature Communications.

“When it comes to their own place, people come together of their own accord.”

Constructed example sentence · in the style of a funding call

Here the research supports the assumption: people who act from their own values and needs report greater well-being.

1Narrative N0012

What keeps being told

People cooperate naturally in contexts such as sustainability.

2Assumption A0003

What is taken for granted

Understanding meaningful action as flowing from one’s own values and needs

3Construct C0007

What research measures

Human Needs

Mapping rated strong. Measured as the need for autonomy.

4Construct C0022

Associated with

Well-being

Subjective Well-Being

Goes with clearly higher well-being.

r = +0.46 · 12,906 people in 36 studies

Meta-analysis, Yu, Levesque-Bristol & Maeda (2018), Journal of Happiness Studies. Scale: association r from −0.7 to +0.7.

What we do

Three offerings, one method: making assumptions visible and tying them to research.

Consulting

You choose deliberately which assumptions you address.

We show where your communication contradicts its own goal, and practise with your team until they can spot the assumptions behind it themselves.

For research and the databasePractical experience and new cases

Research

We tie assumptions to measured effects.

With our academic partners we study how narratives act on well-being and behaviour through foundational assumptions.

For consulting and the databaseScientific rigour and new findings

Database

Talking about stories without knowing the specialist literature.

A register of the assumptions inside widespread stories, together with what research knows about their effects. An excerpt will appear with the new website.

For consulting and researchAn order that grows more precise with every case

Who carries the work

We bring together contemplative psychology, ecological economics, systems thinking and business – from research and the Austrian Climate Council to companies.