Comments on: Body Language http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/29/body-language/ Ramblings of a somewhat libertarian stock market speculator Tue, 14 May 2013 17:01:32 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Peter McCluskey http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/29/body-language/comment-page-1/#comment-42614 Peter McCluskey Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:50:55 +0000 http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/29/body-language/#comment-42614 Douglas, I don't think I feel guilty about zero-sum games. Status seeking can range from very positive sum to very negative sum. I talked about games that are at least slightly negative sum. Patri, Yes, conversation often does more than convey factual claims, but I think your concept of "factual claims" is narrower than I want. I say that conveying status, sympathy, etc. include conveying factual claims. Douglas, I don’t think I feel guilty about zero-sum games. Status seeking can range from very positive sum to very negative sum. I talked about games that are at least slightly negative sum.

Patri,
Yes, conversation often does more than convey factual claims, but I think your concept of “factual claims” is narrower than I want. I say that conveying status, sympathy, etc. include conveying factual claims.

]]> By: Douglas Knight http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/29/body-language/comment-page-1/#comment-42612 Douglas Knight Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:04:25 +0000 http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/29/body-language/#comment-42612 Don't worry about false signals (eg, too much confidence), because your defaults are probably very poorly calibrated in the first place. I also think that you shouldn't feel guilty about playing zero-sum games, but I find it hard to explain why. I think the common thread is assuming that other people are more like you than they actually are; and/or assuming that you understand them better than you do. Don’t worry about false signals (eg, too much confidence), because your defaults are probably very poorly calibrated in the first place.

I also think that you shouldn’t feel guilty about playing zero-sum games, but I find it hard to explain why. I think the common thread is assuming that other people are more like you than they actually are; and/or assuming that you understand them better than you do.

]]> By: Patri Friedman http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/29/body-language/comment-page-1/#comment-42611 Patri Friedman Sat, 31 Jan 2009 07:54:39 +0000 http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2009/01/29/body-language/#comment-42611 "Most communication is either expressing factual claims of some sort or has no clear content." I don't think this is the case. Conversation is sometimes about jockeying for or conveying status, about bonding and showing sympathy, and many other emotional interactions. And even when factual claims are being made, often these other channels of communication are running at the same time. “Most communication is either expressing factual claims of some sort or has no clear content.”

I don’t think this is the case. Conversation is sometimes about jockeying for or conveying status, about bonding and showing sympathy, and many other emotional interactions. And even when factual claims are being made, often these other channels of communication are running at the same time.

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