OK, the point of the post was to identify and explain a principle that ties together a set of high-status mannerisms that would otherwise seem disjoint.
The idea that selfishness signals status makes testable predictions that most LW readers would not have made, and it looks like a lot of commenters are defying the data, but I think it is data that people with more anecdotal evidence about how “normal” people act can confirm.
I think a more precise hypothesis is that getting away with selfishness signals status. I did vote you up though… actually I almost voted you down because I thought most of your post was, while significant, pretty obvious and a little over-simplified (especially the posture stuff). But apparently it isn’t obvious.
OK, the point of the post was to identify and explain a principle that ties together a set of high-status mannerisms that would otherwise seem disjoint.
The idea that selfishness signals status makes testable predictions that most LW readers would not have made, and it looks like a lot of commenters are defying the data, but I think it is data that people with more anecdotal evidence about how “normal” people act can confirm.
There isn’t any data here to defy. Your post is entirely theory.
You’re right, it’s more like “defying the predictions”.
I think a more precise hypothesis is that getting away with selfishness signals status. I did vote you up though… actually I almost voted you down because I thought most of your post was, while significant, pretty obvious and a little over-simplified (especially the posture stuff). But apparently it isn’t obvious.