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Signaling

TagLast edit: Mar 19, 2023, 8:30 PM by Diabloto96

Signaling is defined by Yvain as “a method of conveying information among not-necessarily-trustworthy parties by performing an action which is more likely or less costly if the information is true than if it is not true”. Some signaling is performed exclusively to impress others (to improve your status), and in some cases isn’t even worth that. In other cases, signaling is a side-effect of an otherwise useful activity.

For example, if doing something is easy for one type of person and hard for another type of person, you might do that thing just to get people to think you’re the former type of person, even if the thing isn’t in itself worth doing. This could explain many facets of human behavior, and reveal opportunities for reducing waste.

Not all signaling is about abilities. Signaling can also be about personality, current emotional state, beliefs, loyalty to a particular group, status within a group, etc.

Countersignaling is signaling that a naive observer might take to mean that one is the opposite of X, when in fact, one is X, used as a means to signal that one is, in fact, X. For example, aristocrats (“old money”) may forgo gaudy bling in order to signal that they are not nouveau riche (new money), which may lead some people to incorrectly assume that they are not rich.

Blog posts

by Robin Hanson

by others

See also

External links

What Is Sig­nal­ing, Really?

Scott AlexanderJul 12, 2012, 5:43 PM
146 points
173 comments6 min readLW link

[Question] What de­ter­mines the bal­ance be­tween in­tel­li­gence sig­nal­ing and virtue sig­nal­ing?

Wei DaiDec 9, 2019, 12:11 AM
70 points
37 comments2 min readLW link

Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Re­quires Com­mon In­ter­ests or Differ­en­tial Sig­nal Costs

Zack_M_DavisMar 26, 2021, 6:41 AM
40 points
13 comments3 min readLW link1 review

Sig­nal­ing isn’t about sig­nal­ing, it’s about Goodhart

ValentineJan 6, 2022, 6:49 PM
59 points
31 comments9 min readLW link

In­tel­lec­tual Hip­sters and Meta-Contrarianism

Scott AlexanderSep 13, 2010, 9:36 PM
377 points
367 comments8 min readLW link

Virtue sig­nal­ing is some­times the best or the only met­ric we have

Holly_ElmoreApr 28, 2022, 4:52 AM
41 points
43 comments5 min readLW link

Undis­crim­i­nat­ing Skepticism

Eliezer YudkowskyMar 14, 2010, 11:23 PM
137 points
1,361 comments9 min readLW link

Ap­proval Ex­trac­tion Ad­ver­tised as Production

BenquoDec 15, 2019, 2:51 PM
82 points
39 comments19 min readLW link3 reviews
(benjaminrosshoffman.com)

Mo­tive Ambiguity

ZviDec 15, 2020, 6:10 PM
180 points
58 comments4 min readLW link2 reviews
(thezvi.wordpress.com)

Science as Attire

Eliezer YudkowskyAug 23, 2007, 5:10 AM
168 points
88 comments2 min readLW link

Col­lege Ad­mis­sions as a Bru­tal One-Shot Game

devanshDec 5, 2022, 8:05 PM
8 points
26 comments2 min readLW link

To sig­nal effec­tively, use a non-hu­man, non-stop­pable enforcer

ClippyMay 22, 2010, 10:03 PM
39 points
167 comments2 min readLW link

Least Sig­nal­ing Ac­tivi­ties?

RobinHansonMay 22, 2009, 2:46 AM
31 points
103 comments1 min readLW link

My pa­per was sig­nal­ling the whole time—Robin Han­son wins again

Tim LiptrotAug 4, 2020, 9:13 PM
49 points
19 comments2 min readLW link

When Truth Isn’t Enough

Scott AlexanderMar 22, 2009, 8:23 PM
135 points
59 comments3 min readLW link

The Com­cast Problem

RamblinDashMar 21, 2024, 4:46 PM
1 point
15 comments1 min readLW link

Should I Finish My Bach­e­lor’s De­gree?

Zack_M_DavisMay 11, 2024, 5:17 AM
23 points
13 comments6 min readLW link
(zackmdavis.net)

Re­plac­ing ex­pen­sive costly signals

KatjaGraceFeb 17, 2018, 12:50 AM
30 points
13 comments1 min readLW link
(meteuphoric.wordpress.com)

A sig­nal­ing the­ory of class x poli­tics interaction

Scott AlexanderOct 17, 2011, 6:49 PM
93 points
61 comments3 min readLW link

Mul­tidi­men­sional signaling

KatjaGraceOct 16, 2017, 7:00 AM
24 points
16 comments1 min readLW link
(meteuphoric.wordpress.com)

Things You Can’t Countersignal

AlicornFeb 19, 2010, 12:18 AM
100 points
126 comments4 min readLW link

Cred­ible, costly, pseudonymity

M. Y. ZuoApr 24, 2023, 1:35 PM
1 point
11 comments1 min readLW link

Sig­nal­ing: Why Peo­ple Have Conversations

liam_hinzmanMay 20, 2020, 3:18 AM
15 points
21 comments3 min readLW link
(liamhinzman.com)

[Question] When a sta­tus sym­bol loses its plau­si­ble de­ni­a­bil­ity, how much power does it lose?

Mati_RoyJul 7, 2020, 12:48 AM
5 points
12 comments1 min readLW link

Not all sig­nal­ling/​sta­tus be­hav­iors are bad

StabilizerMar 25, 2012, 10:06 AM
9 points
78 comments1 min readLW link

The strongest sta­tus signals

pwnoMar 6, 2010, 8:13 AM
−5 points
48 comments2 min readLW link

Sig­nal­ing Strate­gies and Morality

MichaelVassarMar 5, 2010, 9:09 PM
20 points
50 comments3 min readLW link

Pre­tend­ing to be Wise

Eliezer YudkowskyFeb 19, 2009, 10:30 PM
166 points
77 comments4 min readLW link

Urges vs. Goals: The anal­ogy to an­ti­ci­pa­tion and belief

AnnaSalamonJan 24, 2012, 11:57 PM
126 points
71 comments7 min readLW link

The Align­ment-Com­pe­tence Trade-Off, Part 1: Coal­i­tion Size and Sig­nal­ing Costs

GentzelJan 15, 2020, 11:10 PM
30 points
4 comments3 min readLW link
(theconsequentialist.wordpress.com)

What Does “Sig­nal­ling” Mean?

abramdemskiSep 16, 2020, 9:19 PM
38 points
18 comments3 min readLW link

Sig­nal­ling & Simulacra

abramdemskiNov 14, 2020, 7:24 PM
63 points
30 comments5 min readLW link

Notes on Innocence

David GrossJan 26, 2024, 2:45 PM
13 points
21 comments18 min readLW link

Con­spicu­ous saving

Matthew BarnettMar 20, 2021, 8:59 PM
50 points
42 comments2 min readLW link
(matthewbarnett.substack.com)

Im­pres­sive vs hon­est signaling

Adam ZernerOct 26, 2021, 7:16 AM
31 points
12 comments7 min readLW link

Nuanced and Ex­treme Countersignaling

DirectedEvolutionJan 24, 2022, 6:47 AM
29 points
9 comments6 min readLW link

Book re­view: Very Im­por­tant People

Richard_NgoApr 2, 2022, 7:00 PM
108 points
18 comments3 min readLW link
(thinkingcomplete.blogspot.com)

An in­tro­duc­tion to sig­nal­ling theory

MvolzAug 16, 2022, 9:37 AM
17 points
1 comment5 min readLW link

Notes on Loyalty

David GrossNov 15, 2020, 7:30 PM
17 points
2 comments8 min readLW link

Notes on Amiability

David GrossFeb 15, 2021, 7:34 PM
16 points
9 comments6 min readLW link

Notes on Shame

David GrossNov 2, 2021, 4:33 AM
22 points
6 comments18 min readLW link

Notes on Dignity

David GrossDec 17, 2020, 3:46 PM
11 points
1 comment7 min readLW link

If we can’t lie to oth­ers, we will lie to ourselves

paulfchristianoNov 26, 2016, 10:29 PM
45 points
24 comments1 min readLW link
(sideways-view.com)

Help, help, I’m be­ing op­pressed!

Scott AlexanderApr 7, 2009, 11:22 PM
43 points
145 comments5 min readLW link

The Sheep­skin Effect

ZviMay 5, 2018, 12:10 PM
10 points
4 comments5 min readLW link
(thezvi.wordpress.com)

Cyn­i­cal About Cynicism

Eliezer YudkowskyFeb 17, 2009, 12:49 AM
72 points
27 comments2 min readLW link

Sig­nal seeding

KatjaGraceOct 12, 2017, 7:00 AM
8 points
5 comments1 min readLW link
(meteuphoric.wordpress.com)

Nar­ra­tives of busi­ness models

Itay DreyfusMar 28, 2024, 7:05 PM
1 point
0 comments4 min readLW link

Think Be­fore You Speak (And Sig­nal It)

Wei DaiMar 19, 2010, 10:21 PM
35 points
40 comments2 min readLW link

Can Kauff­man’s NK Boolean net­works make hu­mans swarm?

Yori-92May 8, 2024, 2:09 AM
6 points
2 comments20 min readLW link

Disarm­ing status

sanoJul 1, 2022, 8:00 PM
−4 points
1 comment6 min readLW link

Let the AI teach you how to flirt

DirectedEvolutionSep 17, 2020, 7:04 PM
47 points
11 comments2 min readLW link

More thoughts on assertions

Scott AlexanderMar 25, 2010, 1:39 AM
28 points
31 comments6 min readLW link

Cyn­i­cism in Ev-Psych (and Econ?)

Eliezer YudkowskyFeb 11, 2009, 3:06 PM
37 points
40 comments4 min readLW link

Wise Preten­sions v.0

Eliezer YudkowskyFeb 20, 2009, 5:02 PM
15 points
23 comments5 min readLW link

De­clare your sig­nal­ing and hid­den agen­das

Kaj_SotalaApr 13, 2009, 12:01 PM
25 points
21 comments3 min readLW link

What do bad clothes sig­nal about you?

Wei DaiJun 13, 2011, 5:48 PM
28 points
82 comments1 min readLW link

Dou­ble-nega­tion as framing

Stuart JohnsonApr 16, 2023, 6:59 AM
25 points
9 comments6 min readLW link

Most Ivy-smart stu­dents aren’t at Ivy-tier schools

Aaron BergmanAug 7, 2022, 3:18 AM
82 points
7 comments8 min readLW link
(www.aaronbergman.net)

[Question] How to build com­mon knowl­edge of ra­tio­nal­ity and hon­esty?

MikkWFeb 21, 2021, 6:07 AM
5 points
3 comments1 min readLW link

Sig­nal­ing with Small Orange Diamonds

jefftkNov 7, 2024, 8:20 PM
39 points
1 comment1 min readLW link
(www.jefftk.com)

Talk­ers and doers

Amir BolousApr 28, 2021, 4:26 AM
−1 points
3 comments1 min readLW link

Sig­nal­ing Guilt

KriegerOct 8, 2022, 8:40 PM
21 points
6 comments1 min readLW link

Tim Dillon’s fake busi­ness is the most in­fluen­tial video I have watched in the last 24 months

Stuart JohnsonJul 22, 2024, 12:54 PM
−4 points
0 comments1 min readLW link
(youtu.be)

Manda­tory Obsessions

Jacob FalkovichNov 14, 2018, 6:19 PM
77 points
14 comments6 min readLW link

Bounded dis­trust or Bounded trust?

M. Y. ZuoOct 15, 2022, 4:41 PM
2 points
12 comments3 min readLW link

Hand­shakes, Hi, and What’s New: What’s Go­ing On With Small Talk?

BenquoJan 2, 2014, 10:08 PM
107 points
79 comments5 min readLW link

Every­body Knows

ZviJul 2, 2019, 12:20 PM
137 points
21 comments4 min readLW link1 review
(thezvi.wordpress.com)

“Nahh, that wouldn’t work”

lionhearted (Sebastian Marshall)Nov 28, 2010, 9:32 PM
97 points
50 comments2 min readLW link

Guilt: Another Gift No­body Wants

Scott AlexanderMar 31, 2011, 12:27 AM
102 points
103 comments8 min readLW link

The Sin­gu­lar­ity In­sti­tute’s Ar­ro­gance Problem

lukeprogJan 18, 2012, 10:30 PM
84 points
307 comments1 min readLW link

Lost Purposes

Eliezer YudkowskyNov 25, 2007, 9:01 AM
186 points
79 comments6 min readLW link

Why Real Men Wear Pink

Scott AlexanderAug 6, 2009, 7:39 AM
103 points
155 comments3 min readLW link

Ad­vances in Baby Formula

Laura BSep 9, 2018, 11:50 AM
60 points
22 comments2 min readLW link

Trivers on Self-Deception

Scott AlexanderJul 12, 2011, 9:04 PM
66 points
27 comments4 min readLW link

My Dat­ing Plan ala Ge­offrey Miller

snog toddgrassJul 17, 2020, 4:52 AM
2 points
57 comments3 min readLW link

In a world… of ven­ture capital

ZviMay 15, 2015, 2:02 PM
6 points
0 comments6 min readLW link

Truth: It’s Not That Great

ChrisHallquistMay 4, 2014, 10:07 PM
50 points
58 comments4 min readLW link