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cousin_it comments on The Dark Arts - Preamble - Less Wrong
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Your definition is too broad - for example, it applies to women using makeup. Maybe amend it to "creating negative emotions in someone else for the purpose of getting them to do something".
Specifying negative emotions is too narrow; that wouldn't apply to any strategy that leaves its target marginally happier but at a resource cost considerably greater than the marginal increase in happiness could've been obtained with elsewhere. Of Cialdini's 6 "weapons of influence," all of which I'd classify as manipulative, only "authority" seems to cause negative emotions with any consistency. PErhaps the metric is orthogonal to the quality of emotion?
"Negative emotions" certainly isn't right--the example in the post was about making the woman feel better.
I'm not sure I agree with your exception (I don't equate "making a good impression" or "living up to a social expectation" with "creating emotion"), but perhaps we could make it clearer by adding "for a specific decision" to the end? i.e. the manipulation must have a specific goal.
The example in the post is not okay because it's piggybacking on an existing negative emotion, and if the woman refused, that emotion would've been reinforced. Like a guilt trip.
So do you not think it's possible to manipulate through positive emotion? What about flattering and pampering someone 'til they fall for you, then robbing them blind?
It's possible, but I don't have the same aversion to it.
Wait, what? Really? You don't find that example scenario objectionable?
Hmm. To me it's kinda "bad in theory", like killing kittens. The strong hate is reserved for the things I actually did a lot and then decided to cut out.
Heh. Okay, we think about those things very differently, but that's fine. :P