Original Research

Conservation of Group Project Effort: Empirical Confirmation That Total Work Done Is Independent of Group Size

¹Department of Irreproducible Sociophysics, Group Work Annex (one person present)

Journal of Irreproducible Sociophysics. 2026;19(3):303-318.

PMID: 81930319 · DOI: 10.1069/satire.2026.0019

Received 2025 Dec 1 · Accepted 2026 Jan 22 · Published 2026 Feb 5

Abstract

Background: It is widely assumed that more group members produce more output. We test the competing hypothesis that group project effort is conserved, with total work fixed regardless of headcount.

Methods: We observed 240 student groups (size N = 1 to 9). Total output was measured in 'one person's sleepless night' (1 SN). Per-capita contribution was inferred from commit logs, guilt, and who 'looked for materials.'

Results: Total work done equaled 1.0 SN across all group sizes (R² = 0.98). Per-capita contribution fell as 1/N. We detected a dark-effort component — a member who 'researched options' but produced nothing observable — present in 100% of groups.

Conclusion: Group project effort is conserved. Adding members redistributes credit, not labor. We propose the SN as a base SI-adjacent unit, pending the lone author finishing the paperwork tonight.

Keywords: Sociophysics; Conservation Laws; Group Dynamics; Dark Effort.

Conflict of Interest Statement: The second author was added during peer review and has not been seen since.
Funding: Unfunded, like the group.
Ethics Statement: Approved by the one member who showed up. Consent of the others was assumed.

Cite

Beaulieu MQ, Whitlock SR. (2026). Conservation of Group Project Effort: Empirical Confirmation That Total Work Done Is Independent of Group Size. Journal of Irreproducible Sociophysics. 2026;19(3):303-318. https://doi.org/10.1069/satire.2026.0019

@article{beaulieu2026,
  title   = {Conservation of Group Project Effort: Empirical Confirmation That Total Work Done Is Independent of Group Size},
  author  = {Marta Q. Beaulieu and Sundar R. Whitlock},
  journal = {Journal of Irreproducible Sociophysics},
  year    = {2026},
  volume  = {19},
  number  = {3},
  pages   = {303-318},
  doi     = {10.1069/satire.2026.0019},
  note    = {Retrieved from PubMedLie. This study is fictional.}
}

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