A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “social signaling”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott presents and analyzes seven different analogies to understand whether sophisticated artistic taste is truly superior to popular taste, ultimately concluding it's most like a system of arbitrary rules with post-hoc justifications.
Scott summarizes and responds to comments on his previous article about nerds and hipsters, covering various topics and reflecting on personal identity and social signaling.
Scott Alexander examines his sudden shift towards conservatism, proposing it may be part of a broader trend of intellectuals differentiating themselves from mainstream leftism.
Scott Alexander debunks claims of effectiveness for Vancouver's 'Don't Be That Guy' anti-rape campaign, arguing that the reported crime reduction is likely due to normal statistical fluctuations rather than the campaign's impact.
Scott Alexander describes a fictional society's use of symbolic bead necklaces to redirect status games towards charitable giving.
Scott explains how the brain presents socially acceptable desires as genuine values (ego syntonic) and unacceptable ones as external compulsions (ego dystonic) to improve social signaling, with willpower representing the balance between these forces.