The hottest Social norms Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center

Culture Study • 7244 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Friendship Relationships History Society Social norms
  1. Friendship used to be considered a vital part of life through history, becoming sidelined as marriage took priority in emotional connections.
  2. Modern ideals often emphasize a spouse also being a 'best friend', impacting how friendships are valued and maintained.
  3. Cultural norms and societal structures make it challenging to prioritize and nurture friendships over traditional family setups, but it's about understanding the possibilities and taking steps towards meaningful platonic connections.
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"Defining Deviancy Down" at 30: Reflections on Crime, Welfare, and Mental Health

Glenn Loury • 1690 implied HN points • 05 Nov 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Crime Welfare Mental health Social norms
  1. Moynihan's essay 'Defining Deviancy Down' explores the impact of shifting norms and incentives on society.
  2. Critics of Moynihan's work questioned his motives rather than engaging with the validity of his analysis.
  3. The redefinition of deviancy has implications for mental health, substance abuse, and social control in society, leading to complex outcomes.

A bit too wet for me in the end

quite useless • 452 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Film Literature Critique Social norms
  1. The film 'Saltburn' cleverly explores class dynamics through traditional characters and allusions.
  2. 'Saltburn' effectively leverages its setting to provide keen social observation and moral inquiry.
  3. 'Triangle of Sadness' suffers from a lack of cleverness in its script, leading to failed attempts at role reversal and humor.

A clarification but, crucially, not a correction

Close-reading the reruns with Phoebe Maltz Bovy • 334 implied HN points • 30 Jan 24
🎭️ Culture Gender Critique Body Image Social norms
  1. The author clarified a theory about online pseudonyms critiquing appearances of celebrities, emphasizing it was just a neutral guess.
  2. The author received feedback from a woman contradicting assumptions about their identity and intentions behind their critique of Taylor Swift's appearance.
  3. The discussion expanded to critique societal norms around women's body image and the impact of judgments on appearance.

Opinions Are Bullshit

Everything Is Bullshit • 707 implied HN points • 28 Nov 23
📖 Philosophy Social norms
  1. Opinions are not facts, preferences, or beliefs, but a strategic game of social norms.
  2. Expressing opinions is about trying to appear superior without admitting it openly.
  3. Opinions involve covert judgments and externalizing preferences to win the 'opinion game'.

The NPC Question 2

Egg Report • 1297 implied HN points • 09 Sep 23
📖 Philosophy Intimacy Media Politics Social norms
  1. Recognizing our own agency and capacity for danger is a prerequisite for participating in public life.
  2. In our modern electronic media environment, there is pressure to always put on an act and believe in it, hindering self-reflection.
  3. Intimacy is not about absence of rules but integration; true friendship involves shared understanding and civility.

From Propriety to Extremism

Doc Hammer's Anvil • 216 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Morality Behavior Reality Mental Illness Social norms
  1. Mental illness isn't necessary for spiraling into extremism, but it can play a role in exacerbating the process.
  2. Human judgment of behavior is based on societal norms and personal perceptions of propriety, praise-worthiness, blame-worthiness, reward-worthiness, and punishment-worthiness.
  3. Low costs and high benefits can lead to purity spirals, where society's expectations become more demanding, driving behavior towards extremism.

Normalyze This

utopian drivel • 825 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
🎭️ Culture LGBTQ+ Identity Social norms Equality Sexuality
  1. Normalizing gay men and relationships was a gradual process that involved marketing strategies and societal shifts.
  2. The idea of 'normalizing' behaviors can be complex, as seen in the evolution of societal views towards online dating and sexual expressions.
  3. Resisting normalization is about embracing the diversity of identities and behaviors without conforming to a narrow definition of 'normal.'

Ask vs guess culture

Tech and Tea • 946 HN points • 12 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Social norms
  1. Ask culture involves being direct in requesting what you want, even if it seems unreasonable.
  2. Guess culture involves asking for something only if you're fairly sure the other person will say yes, and reading indirect cues to gauge appropriateness.
  3. Navigating between ask and guess culture can be challenging, especially in personal relationships and work environments.

Building new cultures

Escaping Flatland • 1120 implied HN points • 23 May 23
🎭️ Culture Online Communities Culture Wars Social norms
  1. Building new cultures is challenging and requires careful planning and inclusion of diverse perspectives.
  2. Online communities can mirror the challenges faced by historical attempts at creating new societies.
  3. It is important to be mindful of the culture you are creating by curating your social interactions and engaging with specific information.

The game theory of seduction and marriage... with Jane Austen

Optimally Irrational • 38 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Literature Psychology Romance Interactions Social norms
  1. Finding a romantic partner can be complex, involving significant time, effort, and thought due to the high stakes involved in love and seduction.
  2. In Jane Austen's novels, the economic considerations of marriage underscore the immense importance of women's choices in selecting a partner.
  3. Navigating romantic interactions involves understanding higher-order beliefs and carefully managing ambiguity, a key aspect seen across different time periods in the courtship process.

American Lunch

Unbound • 505 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Conversation Community Social norms
  1. Regional differences in America persist, influencing social interactions and behaviors.
  2. Conversation between strangers can lead to surprising connections and shared values.
  3. The impact of societal polarization and digital culture on personal interactions is reflected in everyday encounters.

Why are East Asians culturally tight collectivists?

The Great Gender Divergence • 255 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Cultural Evolution Social norms Institutions Identity politics
  1. East Asians prefer social cohesion and harmony over self-expression and individualism
  2. Factors like rice farming, socio-economic threats, Confucianism, and authoritarianism may contribute to cultural tightness
  3. Despite cultural tightness, societies like South Korea have shown resistance and democratization

Girlfood

Close-reading the reruns with Phoebe Maltz Bovy • 235 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
🍲 Food & Drink Trends Social norms Gender Roles Cooking
  1. The trend of 'girl dinner' involves young women making meals out of snacks, sparking discussions on social media.
  2. Having simple snack meals every night can feel tedious, especially when lacking a kitchen for an extended period.
  3. Eating styles can be influenced by gender dynamics, with certain meal types being associated more with specific social situations or relationships.

My 50-year High School Reunion

Heart Speak by Susan of Agile Hearts • 58 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
🎭️ Culture Personal experiences Social norms
  1. The author chose not to attend their 50-year high school reunion due to personal reasons and feeling disconnected from their high school experience.
  2. The author values knowing themselves and being able to make decisions that work best for them even if it goes against social expectations.
  3. The author reflects on the importance of setting boundaries and not feeling pressured to attend events that do not align with their current interests or well-being.

The Problem with the Middle Class

Anxiety Addiction & Ascension • 59 implied HN points • 30 May 23
🎭️ Culture Society Class Social norms Elite Consumerism
  1. The middle class often holds a grand delusion of status and entitlement to justify their place in a system that benefits the elite and takes from them.
  2. Middle class individuals tend to show servility to the elite, adopting their lifestyles and beliefs to feel closer to them, despite a lack of true status.
  3. Many in the middle class exhibit a lethargic credulity, blindly accepting the narratives and systems in place through distractions and conveniences provided by consumerism.

On Gifts

findingbetter • 39 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Gifts Relationships Social norms Emotions
  1. Gift-giving is both meaningful and stressful because it recognizes relationships but can easily go wrong.
  2. Each gift tells a story with different elements like the occasion, giver, recipient, and audience involved.
  3. There are important considerations when giving gifts, such as understanding the recipient's expectations and balancing satisfaction for all involved.