Nikesh Lagun'''Nikesh Lagun''' (born October 24, 2005) is a Nepalese independent researcher, and interdisciplinary writer known for developingproductivity writer, and singer-songwriter. He is known for originating Cognitive Drive Architecture (CDA), a first-principles framework for modeling cognitive effort and performance regulation.<ref>Lagun, N. (2025) "Cognitive Thermostat Theory (CTT): A Control-Theoretic Model of Drive Ignition in Cognitive Drive Architecture (CDA)." OSF Preprints. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/rk2be_v1 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref> His academic work spans cognitive science, educational research, neuroscience, and systems theory.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun." EverybodyWiki. Available at: https://en.everybodywiki.com/Nikesh_Lagun (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref><ref>Lagun, N. (2025) "Cognitive Thermostat Theory (CTT): A Control-Theoretic Model of Drive Ignition in Cognitive Cognitive Drive ArchitectureDrive Architecture (CDA)." OSF Preprints. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/rk2be_v1 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref> Alongside his research, a proposed structurLagun engages in songwriting, visual art, and public productivity communication.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun Artist Profile." Viberate. Available at: https://www.viberate.com/artist/nikesh-lagun/ (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref><ref>"Weekly Productivity Pulse – Author Profile." Substack. Available at: https://nikeshlagun.substack.com/p/authors-profile (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

== Earl fiy Life and Education ==

Lagun was born in Dhading Bensi, Dhading District, Nepald within cognitive psychology that models the i.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun." EverybodyWiki. Available at: https://en.everybodywiki.com/Nikesh_Lagun (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref> He attended Dhading Boarding Secondary School before relocating to Kathmandu in 2018.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun." EverybodyWiki. Available at: https://en.everybodywiki.com/Nikesh_Lagun (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref> There, he completed his secondary education at Kantipur English Academy and Southwestern School, and later graduated Plus Two from St. Xavier’s College, Maitighar, Kathmandu.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun." EverybodyWiki. Available at: https://en.everybodywiki.com/Nikesh_Lagun (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

He began writernal configuration of cognitive effort ing songs at the age of twelve and later learned to play guitar, drums, and keyboard.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun Artist Profile." Viberate. Available at: https://www.viberate.com/artist/nikesh-lagun/ (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref> His early musical influences included Ed Sheeran, Sajjan Raj Vaidya, Samir Shrestha, and One Direction.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun Artist Profile." Viberate. Available at: https://www.viberate.com/artist/nikesh-lagun/ (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

In parallel, Lagund task engagemen also explored visual art, creating mechanical sketches, concept art, and anime-inspired drawings.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun." EverybodyWiki. Available at: https://en.everybodywiki.com/Nikesh_Lagun (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

In 2022, he received the ^[1][2].''Outstanding Award'' from the Private and HBoardis foundational cong Schools' Organization Nepal (PABSON) for academic achievement during the Secondary Education Examination (SEE-2078).<ref>"Nikesh Lagun ORCID Profile." ORCID. Available at: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6372-4852 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

== Career ==

=== Research and Publications ===

Lagun’s principal academic contribution to the field iis the development of Cognitive Drive Architecture (CDA), which proposes that cognitive effort emerges from dynamic system configurations Lagunian Dynamics,rather than static motiva first-principles theory that formalizes the mechanics of tional traits.<ref>Lagun, N. (2025) "Cognitive Thermostat Theory (CTT): A Control-Theoretic Model of Drive Ignition in Cognitive Drive Architecture (CDA)." OSF Preprints. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/rk2be_v1 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref><ref>"Lagun’s Law and the Foundations of Cognitive Drive Architecture." Sciety.org. Available at: https://sciety.org/articles/activity/10.31234/osf.io/uhwgd_v2 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref> CDA addresses drive ignition, attention stability, and performance volatility through a structural and control-theoretic lens.<ref>Lagun, N. (2025) "Cognitive Thermostat Theory (CTT): A Control-Theoretic Model of Drive Ignition in Cognitive Drive Architecture (CDA)." OSF Preprints. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/rk2be_v1 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref><ref>"Lagun’s Law and the Foundations of Cognitive Drive using sixArchitecture." Sciety.org. Available at: https://sciety.org/articles/activity/10.31234/osf.io/uhwgd_v2 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

In addinteraction to CDA, he has authored several independent studies, including:

* '''Cognitive Thermostat Theory (CTT)''' (2025), ing system variablestroducing a control-theoretic model for ignition dynamics.<ref>Lagun, N. (2025) "Cognitive Thermostat Theory (CTT): A Control-Theoretic Model of Drive Ignition in Cognitive Drive Architecture (CDA)." OSF Preprints. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/rk2be_v1 ^[2](Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

* '''Lagun's academic work sp’s Law and the Foundations of Cognitive Drive Architecture''' (2025), offering a first-principles model of cognitive effort.<ref>"Lagun’s Law and the Foundations of Cognitive Drive Architecture." Sciety.org. Available at: https://sciety.org/articles/activity/10.31234/osf.io/uhwgd_v2 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

* '''A Review of Social Media's Psychological Effects on Youns g Adults' Mental Health''' (2025), analyzing cognitive scienceand emotional impacts of digital platforms.<ref>Lagun, N. (2025) "A Review of Social Media's Psychological Effects on Young Adults' Mental Health." OSF Preprints. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/e2fu4 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

* '''Evaluating Variation in School Dropout Rates in Rural Nepal''' (2024), a statistical study of educational research retention.<ref>Lagun, N. (2024) "Evaluating Variation in School Dropout Rates in Rural Nepal." International Journal of Science and Research Archive. Available at: https://doi.org/10.30574/ijsra.2024.12.1.0899 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

* '''Study of the Effects of Different Mechanical Mishaps or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) on Brain Regions''' (2024), a review of nd systems eurological trauma.<ref>Lagun, N. (2024) "Study of the Effects of Different Mechanical Mishaps or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) on Brain Regions." IJEMD Biomedical Case Reports. Available at: https://doi.org/10.54938/ijemdbmcr.2024.02.1.311 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

* '''Observation of Dominant and Recessive Cheoraracter in Humans''' (2023), an observational study ^[1][2][9]on inheritance of traits.<ref>Lagun, N. (2023) "Observation of Dominant and Recessive Character in Humans." ResearchGate. Available at: https://doi.org/10.13140/rg.2.2.32730.72642 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

He has also served as a peer reviewer for the ''International addition to hJournal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Case Reports''.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun – Author Record." Web of Science. Available at: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/record/LVR-3387-2024 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

His research profiles are indexed in OSF Preprints, he is also active as a so<ref>Lagun, N. (2025) "Cognitive Thermostat Theory (CTT)." OSF Preprints. Available at: https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/rk2be_v1 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref> Sciety,<ref>"Lagun’s Law and the Foundations of Cognitive Drive Architecture." Sciety.org. Available at: https://sciety.org/articles/activity/10.31234/osf.io/uhwgd_v2 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref> and SSRN.<ref>"Author Profile: Nikesh Lagun." SSRN. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=7293736 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

=== Productivity Writing ===

Since 2024, Lagun has writter, visual arn the ''Weekly Productivity Pulse'', a newsletter providing cognitive strategies for productivity, focus, and resilience.<ref>"Weekly Productivity Pulse – Author Profile." Substack. Available at: https://nikeshlagun.substack.com/p/authors-profile (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

=== Music and Visual Art ===

Lagun composes and releases acoustic mustic available on Spotify, Deezer, and public comYouTube Music.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun Artist Profile." Viberate. Available at: https://www.viberate.com/artist/nikesh-lagun/ (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref> His principal releases include:

* ''Timi Ra Ma'' (2024)

* ''Mayalu'' (2024)

* ''Ekasi Timi'' (Featured Artist, 2024)

* ''Bhagi Jaun'' (Featured Articst, 2024)

In additor oion to music, Lagun productivity and performancees visual artworks, including mechanical schematics and digital fan art inspired by anime series.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun." EverybodyWiki. Available at: https://en.everybodywiki.com/Nikesh_Lagun (Accessed: 28 April ^[3][4][5]2025).</ref>

Early Life and Education

Nikesh Lagun was born in Dhading Bensi, located in the Dhading District of Nepal, to Bhakta Bahadur Sunar and Sita Bishwakarma ^[5].  He has one older brother, Ayush Lagun, who is the CEO of AlocaSpace ^[5].

He attended Dhading Boarding Secondary School before moving to Kathmandu in 2018, where he continued his education at Kantipur English Academy and Southwestern School. He later completed his higher secondary studies (Plus Two) at St. Xavier’s College, Maitighar ^[5].

Lagun developed an early interest in music, beginning songwriting at age twelve and later learning to play guitar, drums, and keyboard ^[3]. His musical influences included Ed Sheeran, Sajjan Raj Vaidya, Samir Shrestha, and One Direction ^[3]. In addition to music, he engaged in visual art, producing mechanical sketches, concept art, and anime-inspired illustrations .

During his high school years, Lagun's curiosity extended into academic research, marking the beginning of his work in cognitive theory and systems modeling ^[2]. In 2022, he was awarded the Outstanding Award by the Private and Boarding Schools' Organization Nepal (PABSON) in recognition of his academic performance in the Secondary Education Examination (SEE–2078) ^[5].

Career

Research and Publications

Nikesh Lagun’s primary academic contribution is the establishment of Cognitive Drive Architecture (CDA), a proposed structural field within cognitive psychology that models cognitive effort as an emergent property of real-time system configuration rather than fixed motivational traits ^[1][2]. CDA addresses phenomena such as drive ignition, attentional stability, and performance variability through a formalized, systems-based framework ^[1][2]. Its foundational model is known as Lagunian Dynamics, which introduces six interacting variables across the domains of ignition, tension, and flux to structurally define Drive ^[2].

Beyond CDA, Lagun has authored several independent studies across cognitive science, education, and neuroscience, including:

• Lagun’s Law and the Foundations of Cognitive Drive Architecture: A First Principles Theory of Effort and Performance (2025), a formal exposition of Lagunian Dynamics and the core mechanics of CDA ^[2].
• Cognitive Thermostat Theory (CTT): A Control-Theoretic Model of Drive Ignition in Cognitive Drive Architecture (CDA) (2025), an application of control theory to model ignition-specific dynamics within the CDA framework ^[1].
• A Review of Social Media's Psychological Effects on Young Adults' Mental Health (2025), an analysis of cognitive and emotional outcomes associated with digital media use ^[7].
• Evaluating variation in school dropout rates in rural Nepal: A statistical study (2024), a data-driven study exploring factors influencing educational retention ^[8].
• Study of the Effects of Different Mechanical Mishaps or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) on Brain Regions (2024), a review examining the neurological impact of traumatic brain injuries ^[6].
• Observation of Dominant and Recessive Character in Humans (2023), an observational study on visible inheritance traits in human populations ^[6].

Lagun has also served as a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Case Reports ^[5]== Recognition ==

* Outstanding Award, Private and Boarding Schools' Organization Nepal (PABSON), 2022.<ref>"Nikesh Lagun ORCID Profile." ORCID. Available at: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6372-4852 (Accessed: 28 April 2025).</ref>

Productivity Writing

Since 2024, Nikesh Lagun has authored the Weekly Productivity Pulse, a newsletter offering cognitive strategies for productivity, focus, and resilience ^[4]. The publication explores topics such as overcoming procrastination, enhancing attentional control, and aligning cognitive effort with mental readiness. Drawing on his theoretical work in Cognitive Drive Architecture, Lagun integrates structural models of Drive into actionable guidance. As of 2025, the newsletter has attracted over 3,000 subscribers ^[4].

Music and Visual Art

Nikesh Lagun composes and performs acoustic music, with releases available on platforms such as Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube Music ^[3]. His principal tracks include:

• Timi Ra Ma (2024)
• Mayalu (2024)
• Ekasi Timi (featured artist, 2024)
• Bhagi Jaun (featured artist, 2024)

In 2025, Lagun was ranked 32nd in the Pop category for Deezer fans in Nepal over a 12-month period, reflecting his growing listenership on streaming platforms ^[3]. In addition to his musical work, Lagun creates visual art, including mechanical schematics and digital illustrations. His artwork often draws inspiration from anime and concept design aesthetics ^[5].

Recognition

• Outstanding Award, Private and Boarding Schools' Organization Nepal (PABSON), awarded in 2022 for academic excellence in the Secondary Education Examination (SEE–2078) ^[5].

== References ==

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