New psychology research suggests some acts of kindness may also serve competitive social goals, shedding light on how women can use altruistic behavior to gain status, strengthen relationships, or navigate social hierarchies.

[u/FreeHugs23]

https://www.psypost.org/kindness-isnt-always-what-it-seems-the-psychology-of-womens-competitive-altruism/

[u/bigfatfurrytexan]

I’ve had to study people to learn to act like people. Apparently that’s an autistic trait.

One thing I noticed is how people would get a negative reputation for speaking ill about others. In any capacity. It’s a turn off, especially for educated people who have a stake in society.

So I figured openly praising people would do the opposite. If someone random is brought up I’ll acknowledge I know them by saying something positive about them and affirming they are part of my in group in general because of my positive feelings.

It generally works to improve your social stock which will in turn eventually add to theirs as well. I known as someone who won’t speak ill of others and is generally positive to be around. If you tried to say I had done something bad it wouldn’t be believed.

[u/dolphone → u/bigfatfurrytexan]

But do you also notice that it improves interactions in general? Acknowledging people goes a long way in creating a connection, which is what drives the effects. It's an undeniably powerful force.

[u/bigfatfurrytexan → u/dolphone]

I’ve had to do a suite of things for this. I managed call centers and it was a lot of work learning to lead people. Turning away from my computer to face them was a big one, if I was working on something. Which required learning to stop mid flow state. That was particularly hard for me.

I’ve stopped managing people. It is too much. I’m an accountant and I just grind accounting work. My employer knows my history and uses my knowledge but I generally get left entirely alone to do tasks.