If the signal costs more, it just indicates the person can pay for that signal. There are people who waste a large proportion of their income on rolex watches to appear wealthier; doesn’t mean that they are.
However, signals that cost more may be more accurate than ones that don’t cost as much. This doesn’t mean that they can’t expire or at least not work as well. Plus, when status-seeking behavior is better understood by everyone, only costly (and accurate) signals will be possible.
If the signal costs more, it just indicates the person can pay for that signal.
That’s the point. Signals that we find impressive, like rolex watches are impressive because our instincts are calibrated to assume that the ability to “just pay for that signal” is an incredibly significant measure.
If the signal costs more, it just indicates the person can pay for that signal. There are people who waste a large proportion of their income on rolex watches to appear wealthier; doesn’t mean that they are.
However, signals that cost more may be more accurate than ones that don’t cost as much. This doesn’t mean that they can’t expire or at least not work as well. Plus, when status-seeking behavior is better understood by everyone, only costly (and accurate) signals will be possible.
That’s the point. Signals that we find impressive, like rolex watches are impressive because our instincts are calibrated to assume that the ability to “just pay for that signal” is an incredibly significant measure.
Don’t you think that if more people knew about status-seeking behaviors, more accurate, and therefore more costly, signals would be used?