To say a bit more on this, I think there’s also an adaptive behavior some people pick up in this direction that leads them to seek local uniqueness. Sometimes this backfires and the person becomes ostracized as a weirdo, but when it’s successful they have something that makes them unique, special, and, importantly for their chances at success in survival and reproduction, indispensable.
Of course I don’t think most people think of doing this deliberately in this way. I myself feel it as a motivation to be special, so sometimes pursuing a skill feels worth the effort because I expect it will make me special. But that’s a difference of reasons why this behavior might be selected for and what it feels like to perform the behavior.
To say a bit more on this, I think there’s also an adaptive behavior some people pick up in this direction that leads them to seek local uniqueness. Sometimes this backfires and the person becomes ostracized as a weirdo, but when it’s successful they have something that makes them unique, special, and, importantly for their chances at success in survival and reproduction, indispensable.
Of course I don’t think most people think of doing this deliberately in this way. I myself feel it as a motivation to be special, so sometimes pursuing a skill feels worth the effort because I expect it will make me special. But that’s a difference of reasons why this behavior might be selected for and what it feels like to perform the behavior.