An infinite feedback loop is usually called a positive feedback loop or runaway loop. Here is what it means in audio, software, biology, and everyday systems.
Introduction
If a system keeps feeding its own output back into itself and never settles down, people reach for a specific vocabulary to describe it. The short answer to "what do you call an infinite feedback loop" depends on the field: engineers call it a positive feedback loop or a runaway loop, programmers call it an infinite loop or unbounded recursion, audio technicians call it the Larsen effect, and in everyday language people call it a vicious cycle.
Underneath all of those names is one shared idea. A feedback loop returns some of its output to its input. When that returned signal amplifies rather than dampens the next round, the loop has no natural stopping point, and it grows, oscillates, or repeats forever until something outside the system interrupts it. This article walks through the correct terminology, why these loops happen, and how they show up in sound, software, biology, and business.
Table of Contents
- The Short Answer: What to Call It
- Positive vs. Negative Feedback
- Infinite Feedback Loops in Audio
- Infinite Loops in Software
- Runaway Loops in Nature and Climate
- Vicious and Virtuous Cycles in Business
- How to Break an Infinite Feedback Loop
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
The Short Answer: What to Call It
There is no single universal term, but these are the names professionals actually use:
- Positive feedback loop — the formal systems-theory name for a loop where output reinforces itself. "Positive" does not mean good; it means self-amplifying.
- Runaway loop or runaway feedback — emphasises that the loop escalates without a limit.
- Infinite loop — the programming term for code that repeats endlessly.
- Larsen effect — the specific name for the screeching audio feedback between a microphone and a speaker.
- Vicious cycle (or vicious circle) — the plain-English phrase for a self-worsening situation.
- Death spiral — informal business and engineering slang for a destructive runaway loop.
So when someone asks what to call an infinite feedback loop, the most technically accurate answer is a positive (self-reinforcing) feedback loop that lacks a stabilising limit.
Positive vs. Negative Feedback
To understand why some loops run forever, you need the distinction between the two loop types.
Negative feedback (self-correcting)
Negative feedback pushes a system back toward a target. A thermostat is the classic example: when the room gets too warm, the heater switches off; when it cools, the heater switches on. The loop constantly counteracts change, so it settles into a stable equilibrium. Negative feedback rarely runs away because it is designed to cancel deviations.
Positive feedback (self-amplifying)
Positive feedback does the opposite. A small change triggers a response that makes the change bigger, which triggers an even larger response. Without a natural ceiling, this is the mechanism behind an infinite feedback loop. It is the same math that describes compound interest, viral sharing, and a microphone screeching next to a speaker.
If you want a deeper structural breakdown of the two loop types side by side, our companion guide on the difference between positive and negative feedback covers the mechanics in detail.
Infinite Feedback Loops in Audio
The most familiar infinite feedback loop is the piercing squeal you hear when a microphone gets too close to a loudspeaker. Here is the chain of events:
- The microphone picks up a faint sound.
- The amplifier boosts it and sends it to the speaker.
- The speaker plays the sound, which the microphone picks up again.
- Each pass through the loop adds gain, so the sound grows louder and louder.
Because each cycle amplifies the last, the system quickly saturates at a sustained tone. Sound engineers call this the Larsen effect, named after Danish physicist Søren Larsen. Guitarists sometimes use controlled feedback creatively, but in a live event it is a runaway loop that has to be broken by lowering gain, moving the mic, or using a notch filter.
Video has an equivalent: point a camera at the screen showing its own output and you get video feedback, an endless recursive tunnel of images. Both are perfect visual and audible demonstrations of a positive feedback loop with no built-in limit.
Infinite Loops in Software
In programming, an infinite loop is a sequence of instructions that never reaches its exit condition. It is a close cousin of the feedback loop because the program keeps feeding its own state back into the next iteration.
Common causes include:
- A loop condition that never becomes false, such as a counter that is never incremented.
- Unbounded recursion, where a function calls itself without a base case, eventually causing a stack overflow.
- Two components that keep triggering each other — for example, a UI event that updates state, which re-renders and re-fires the same event. Front-end developers see this often, which is why careful state management matters so much in modern interfaces built with frameworks like React and Next.js. Teams that build these interfaces professionally, such as the specialists behind React JS web development, design components specifically to avoid these render loops.
An infinite loop is not always a bug. Game loops, server listeners, and operating-system schedulers are intentionally endless — they run until the process is deliberately stopped. The problematic version is the unintended one that consumes CPU, freezes the interface, or crashes the app.
Runaway Loops in Nature and Climate
Nature is full of positive feedback loops that, left unchecked, would run away.
- Blood clotting: an injury releases chemicals that activate platelets, which release more of the same chemicals, rapidly building a clot. The body limits it with counteracting signals so the clot does not spread everywhere.
- Childbirth: contractions push the baby against the cervix, which releases oxytocin, which causes stronger contractions — a textbook positive loop that ends only when the baby is born.
- Climate feedback: melting ice exposes darker water and land, which absorbs more heat, which melts more ice. This "ice-albedo" loop is one reason scientists watch tipping points so closely.
These examples show why "positive" is a neutral technical label. Some self-reinforcing loops are life-saving, and some are dangerous.
Vicious and Virtuous Cycles in Business
In organisations, an infinite feedback loop usually goes by a plainer name.
- A vicious cycle is a self-worsening loop: poor morale leads to low performance, which leads to criticism, which further lowers morale.
- A virtuous cycle is the same structure working in your favour: happy customers leave good reviews, which attract more customers, which fund better products.
Marketing has its own version. A piece of content gets shared, which increases visibility, which drives more shares — a viral loop. Growth teams and agencies offering digital marketing intentionally engineer virtuous loops so that each satisfied user brings in the next one. And when you present cyclical concepts to a general audience, a clear infographic design often communicates the loop far better than paragraphs of text.
How to Break an Infinite Feedback Loop
Because an infinite feedback loop has no internal off-switch, you stop it by introducing one. The universal strategies are:
- Add negative feedback — introduce a counteracting force, like a limiter on an amplifier or a base case in a recursive function.
- Cap the gain — ensure each cycle returns less than it received so the signal decays instead of growing.
- Insert a hard limit — a maximum iteration count, a timeout, or a circuit breaker that forces an exit.
- Delay or dampen the signal — filters, buffers, and cooldowns give the system time to stabilise.
- Cut the connection — physically separate the mic and speaker, or break the dependency in code.
In every domain, the fix is the same conceptual move: convert an unbounded positive loop into a bounded, self-correcting one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the technical name for an infinite feedback loop?
The most precise term is a positive feedback loop (also called a self-reinforcing or runaway loop). "Positive" describes the amplifying behaviour, not whether the outcome is good.
Is a positive feedback loop always infinite?
No. Many positive loops are limited by physical constraints or by counteracting negative feedback. They only become "infinite" when nothing stops the amplification.
What causes audio feedback?
Audio feedback, or the Larsen effect, happens when a microphone picks up sound from a speaker, the amplifier boosts it, and the loop repeats with increasing gain until it produces a sustained squeal.
What is an infinite loop in programming?
It is code that repeats forever because its exit condition is never met — often from a counter that never changes or recursion without a base case.
Is an infinite loop always a mistake?
Not necessarily. Game loops and server listeners are intentionally endless and run until stopped. The harmful kind is the accidental loop that hangs or crashes a program.
What is the difference between a vicious cycle and a virtuous cycle?
Both are positive feedback loops. A vicious cycle amplifies negative outcomes, while a virtuous cycle amplifies positive ones.
How do you stop a runaway feedback loop?
Introduce negative feedback, cap the gain, add a hard limit or timeout, dampen the signal, or cut the connection that feeds output back to input.
Conclusion
So, what do you call an infinite feedback loop? In formal terms, a positive or runaway feedback loop; in code, an infinite loop; in sound, the Larsen effect; and in everyday life, a vicious cycle. The names differ, but the mechanism is identical — output feeds back and amplifies itself with no built-in limit. Recognising that shared structure is the key to both harnessing helpful loops and shutting down harmful ones.
If you are designing digital systems, dashboards, or content that needs to explain complex cyclical ideas clearly, the team at Faidaa can help you turn tangled loops into clean, intuitive experiences. Reach out to explore how thoughtful design and development can keep your systems stable and your message clear.