wedrifid comments on Rational Romantic Relationships, Part 1: Relationship Styles and Attraction Basics - Less Wrong

48 Post author: lukeprog 05 November 2011 11:06AM

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Comment author: wedrifid 08 November 2011 09:08:01PM 16 points [-]

To repeat something from a previous discussion, this isn't about being physically afraid.

My understanding is that it is an instinct intended to protect you from threats to your reproductive success, not threats to your survival. ie. I expect it to tend to encourage behaviors that will prevent pregnancy to losers more so than behaviors that prevent losers from killing you.

Comment author: cousin_it 08 November 2011 09:19:35PM 2 points [-]

Thanks a lot! Your comment made something click for me.

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 08 November 2011 10:05:57PM 2 points [-]

I don't think people are highly optimized. Evolution aims for good enough, rather than best hypothetically possible, and when I say hypothetically possible, I mean hypotheses generated by people from a time when no one knows the limits of what's evolutionarily possible.

I've had the skin crawl effect from men of varying status, though I admit the average status is on the low side.

Comment author: wedrifid 09 November 2011 03:25:18AM *  12 points [-]

I don't think people are highly optimized.

Having a 'repulsion/creepiness' response to supplement an 'attraction' response seems like something to expect as an early, basic optimization. Something that would begin to be optimized before even bothering with things like human level intelligence.

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 09 November 2011 08:37:59AM 4 points [-]

Has anything like the repulsion response been seen in animals?

Something I don't think I've seen discussed is that the men who set off the repulsion response seem to be pretty rare. I haven't heard of the response being studied scientifically.

If PUA helps, it might not distinguish between men who have been ignored and men who have been actively avoided.

Comment author: wedrifid 09 November 2011 09:22:30AM *  10 points [-]

If PUA helps, it might not distinguish between men who have been ignored and men who have been actively avoided.

From what I understand of the philosophy a personal development program based on PUA would be expected and intended to reduce the amount that the guy is placed in the 'ignored' category while actually increasing the 'actively avoided' category. Because being ignored is useless (and 'no fun') while being actively avoided actually just saves time. Bell curves and blue and red charts apply.

There tends to be some lessons on how to reduce 'creepiness' in general because obviously being creepy in general is going to be a hindrance to the intended goals.

Comment author: wedrifid 09 November 2011 09:28:49AM 7 points [-]

I haven't heard of the response being studied scientifically.

My brief searching for 'creepiness research' didn't turn up much either. But to be honest I don't really know where to look. :)