You are describing second order status effects (status signaled to those analyzing your behavior for first order signaling motivations), which should be corrections to first order effects (status signaled to those taking your actions at face value), as if they were the whole story.
I’m not sure what “taking your actions at face value” means.
The main point is that, regardless of the other features of the interaction, people have a mental subsystem to make inferences about one another’s statuses, and part of the inference works by measuring deviations from the ultimate high-status behavior: selfish pleasure-seeking.
I’m not sure what “taking your actions at face value” means.
That was meant as a contrast to analyzing for signaling motivation.
people have a mental subsystem to make inferences about one another’s statuses
Are you saying that actual people, not consciously concerned with the other’s signaling motivations, assign low status to people who stand up straight? I don’t think that actually happens.
Standing up straight is higher-status than the way a lot of people are slouching, but yes, a relaxed standing posture is typical and higher-status. Look at Michaelangelo’s David, that’s what I mean.
The problem with standing up fully straight is that it’s not a relaxed, pleasant behavior. It’s perceived as contrived to influence influential others.
So, by “standing up straight”, you meant something like military “at attention” (which signals the high status of one’s leader or group, but not the signaling individual)? That is not how I read it initially at all. I was thinking, as opposed to slouching.
You are describing second order status effects (status signaled to those analyzing your behavior for first order signaling motivations), which should be corrections to first order effects (status signaled to those taking your actions at face value), as if they were the whole story.
I’m not sure what “taking your actions at face value” means.
The main point is that, regardless of the other features of the interaction, people have a mental subsystem to make inferences about one another’s statuses, and part of the inference works by measuring deviations from the ultimate high-status behavior: selfish pleasure-seeking.
That was meant as a contrast to analyzing for signaling motivation.
Are you saying that actual people, not consciously concerned with the other’s signaling motivations, assign low status to people who stand up straight? I don’t think that actually happens.
Standing up straight is higher-status than the way a lot of people are slouching, but yes, a relaxed standing posture is typical and higher-status. Look at Michaelangelo’s David, that’s what I mean.
The problem with standing up fully straight is that it’s not a relaxed, pleasant behavior. It’s perceived as contrived to influence influential others.
So, by “standing up straight”, you meant something like military “at attention” (which signals the high status of one’s leader or group, but not the signaling individual)? That is not how I read it initially at all. I was thinking, as opposed to slouching.