eggman comments on May Monthly Bragging Thread - Less Wrong Discussion
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I figured upvotes in the monthly bragging thread would solely be a function of how much of a heap of utility can be demonstrated to be achieved. However, this is my second-most upvoted comment of all time, with the first-most upvoted being similar: a terse comment with just enough data to make it seem substantial, but is full of warm fuzzies. So, writing 'Yay! I'm winning!' for a mundane goal, like doing minimal exercise, might be at least as powerful as providing a long, and modest, explanation for doing something which signals much more greatness in real life. Below mine, other users have commented that they've:
*cemented an academic career with a lifestyle they love. *gave a technical presentation to hundreds of people. *became adequately competent in Python to start a fully-fledged web project. *made substantial advancement in launching a career as a statistician. *made a regular habit of building skills that are more crucial to success than 'walking around'.
To me, all of the above seems more impressive than my 'walking around a bunch'. My hypothesis is that I signaled my success in a simpler package, so it was easier to process, and so there was an easier, and lazier, investment in pressing the 'upvote' button. If you upvoted me, why? What's going on?