The concept of a vast 'mating marketplace' driven by immediate value signals is a recent phenomenon. Evolutionarily, humans formed bonds based on long-term compatibility within small, familiar tribes, suggesting that today's dating apps create an unnatural and potentially detrimental dynamic.

It is a profound mystery how evolution hardcodes abstract social desires (e.g., reputation) into our genome. Unlike simple sensory rewards, these require complex cognitive processing to even identify. Solving this could unlock powerful new methods for instilling robust, high-level values in AI systems.

In variations of Stanley Milgram's obedience experiments, the presence of nonconformists, or "principled deviants," dramatically reduced the group's willingness to inflict harm. These outsiders model ethical behavior, reining in the cruelty of others and guiding the group toward a better moral outcome.

Most people (88%) agree on fundamental values but remain silent, fearing ostracization. This allows the most extreme 5% of voices to dominate 90% of public discourse, creating a false impression of widespread disagreement and polarization where one doesn't exist.

Our anger towards hypocrisy stems from a perceived 'false signal.' A hypocrite gains status (respect, trust) without paying the cost of their claimed principles. This triggers our deep sense of injustice about an unfair exchange, making the violation about social standing more than just morality.

The modern 'status revolution' overturns the old paradigm that status is a finite commodity where one's gain is another's loss. In this new world, one person or group gaining status does not require another to lose it, allowing for a more equitable and peaceful societal reorganization.

Psychologist Michelle Gelfand's research shows societies exist on a spectrum from "tight" (strict norms, less crime) to "loose" (wider behaviors, more creativity). Feeling like an outsider may simply mean your workplace or social circle has a "tight" culture that values order over innovation.

Biologist William Muir's 'super chicken' experiment revealed that groups of top individual performers can end up sabotaging one another, leading to worse outcomes than more cooperative, average teams. In business, this 'too much talent problem' manifests as ego clashes and a breakdown in collaboration, undermining collective success.

A study found that men’s real-world sexual success was highly correlated with how intimidating other men found them, not by how attractive women rated them. This suggests female mate choice is less about direct selection and more about passively choosing the victors of intra-male competition, validating a 'male competition theory' of attraction.