:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
Two halves of one result rather than rivals. The peak-end rule names what memory keeps — the worst moment and the last moment. Duration neglect names what it discards — how long the whole thing went on. Neither makes sense without the other, and they came from the same experiments.
Side by side
| Aspect | Peak-end rule | Duration neglect |
|---|---|---|
| Describes | What's kept | What's dropped |
| Data points | Two | Zero for length |
| Discovered | Together | Together |
| Consequence | Endings matter | Length doesn't |
What each one means
The peak-end rule is the tendency to judge a past experience largely by how it felt at its most intense moment and at its end, while barely counting how long it lasted. It governs what you remember of an experience, not what it was like to live through — which is where the interest lies.
Full definition of Peak-End Rule →The contrast above sets out how Duration neglect differs from Peak-End Rule on the points that actually matter.