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Athrelon comments on Why do people ____? - Less Wrong Discussion
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Lowering someone else's status is 1/150 as good as raising your own.
But then, why don't people downvote more often? Especially if downvoting is completely anonymous and requires minimum effort?
One guess is that downvoting is too simple; it does not pattern-match to a personal attack, therefore it does not bring the related emotions.
Other guess is "in group / out group" distinction, where people on the same site are percieved as members of the same subgroup, and you don't want to make your subgroup weaker. But then why does the same effect not stop trolling? Do trolls percieve themselves as members of a dominant subgroup inside the weaker subgroup, showing them who is really the boss? (The imaginary dominant subgroup = people who don't care about this website.)
If we're talking about a tribabl size of 150, it's going to be at least 1/75 as good, as only half of the people are potential mates. In practice, it's probably considerably better than this, even.
This also isn't even the case because some people will be allies or relatives.
You can do it even better if you target it specifically at your relevant rivals. But even a 1/150 payoff ain't bad, especially considering how little effort it takes to deploy a "witty" "zinger" on the internet.
Check out Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species-- competition isn't just for mates. It's also about getting resources for raising your children, and can easily be with members of your own sex.