Good point. I should have made the distinction between status signals and “conformity” signals clearer. But I do think that there are very distinct mechanisms at work there, even though the ultimate end [higher status] is probably the same. [That is, we signal conformity to an employer to get a job that will give us higher status.]
My concern was mostly that “higher status is the end goal” has very little explanatory power in itself. Understanding more specifically what certain things signal is far more helpful.
Good point. I should have made the distinction between status signals and “conformity” signals clearer. But I do think that there are very distinct mechanisms at work there, even though the ultimate end [higher status] is probably the same. [That is, we signal conformity to an employer to get a job that will give us higher status.]
My concern was mostly that “higher status is the end goal” has very little explanatory power in itself. Understanding more specifically what certain things signal is far more helpful.