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The Best Article Ever Written About Bragging

lesspenguiny.com

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Re: The Best Article Ever Written About Bragging

#121

Post by darth_mastah »

rb808 wrote: post #66

I really dont like bragging, but I've noticed in groups where no one is bragging or talking about themselves its really boring. I have a bunch of really smart friends who do really interesting things and when we meet up its like what are you up to? Nothing much. Nothing interesting. Later you find out that they just visited Mongolia, another is learning Russian and the other built renewable power system for a holiday…

> I have a bunch of really smart friends who do really interesting things and when we meet up its like what are you up to? Nothing much. Nothing interesting. Later you find out that they just visited Mongolia, another is learning Russian and the other built renewable power system for a holiday house they just bought, but they're too worried about bragging to bring it up.

I love it how you used "Reflected Glory Bragging" (point 9) right here! It's great, I'm upvoting your comment :)

Re: The Best Article Ever Written About Bragging

#122

Post by Vinnl »

less_penguiny wrote: post #55
Vinnl wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really enjoyed it as well. I'd also suggest an RSS feed; although it makes it harder to track who reads your articles, I really prefer to not sign up for email updates. Anyway, keep it up!

Just cobbled one together – LMK if it works https://www.lesspenguiny.com/feed.rss

Excellent, I've subscribed! Thanks, looking forward to future articles :)

Re: The Best Article Ever Written About Bragging

#124

Post by less_penguiny »

archiepeach wrote: post #115

I read the entire article to my girlfriend earlier. Yes, she can read, she just prefers to listen to the sound of my own voice #blessed. Just wanted to say a big thank you! It prompted a lengthy discussion that went on till late. Would love to read some more of the potential articles you’re thinking about writing.

Oh wow that's great! Did you two come up with any ideas or personal epiphanies about bragging and status?

Re: The Best Article Ever Written About Bragging

#125

Post by less_penguiny »

joncrane wrote: post #113

Do people really brag about their salary? I've always found that announcing my income will provoke jealousy and the expectation that I'll "invite" people to more things. Perhaps it's also tinged with a little bit of inner guilt that I should be doing more for people that are less fortunate. But I've always had a policy of "that's between me and my accountant (though my accountant recently has been those cheap online…

Depends on where you live. I've been both in the US and in Europe, and I heard it much more often in the states. In fact, it led to some ugly evenings, e.g. if someone finds out someone else is getting paid way more for basically the same job.

I also noticed that freelance stuff gets bragged about more often — how big their last contract was closed for, or what daily rate they got from a client.

Re: The Best Article Ever Written About Bragging

#127

Post by less_penguiny »

jaclaz wrote: post #99

Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see what I call "deal bragging" (which is very common I believe and that particularly irks me). Basically everyone (but me) manages to get things (or work done) for much less than their common market value is or however much less than what I can get it at. Be it a car, a pair of trousers or a phone, or the renovation works of his/her bathroom, the "deal bragger" tells you that he/she f…

Yes, this is definitely a thing. Very modern too.

Indeed I had a whole section on what people brag about (deals being one of them, as well as "potential" or being c-r-a-z-y). I plan on releasing this stuff soon.

Re: The Best Article Ever Written About Bragging

#128

Post by less_penguiny »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #92

@less_penguiny: Very nice article, as others have said. It seems like you really nailed a lot of subtleties. Your article hinted at a problem we all face: sometimes we're left guessing whether or not the other person is intentionally bragging. I.e., there's a problem of ambiguity. I'd like to suggest a follow-up article: suggestions for how to communicate certain ideas in a way that minimizes the risk of being interp…

cheers :D

So the intention of the article was partially to do exactly this, but I didn't want the tone to be too heavy-handed or self-helpy so I relegated this information to being between the lines. If you take a look at the number of penguins I gave each technique, that roughly correlates to how positively I view each bragging technique. As the website name suggests, the less penguins the better!

Re: The Best Article Ever Written About Bragging

#129

Post by less_penguiny »

brianmcc wrote: post #83
less_penguiny wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm at a juncture – my last project wound down and I'm considering where to take my career next. Basically my main two options are: * start another technical company and go all-in * freelance half of the time, spend the other half on the LessPenguiny project. Monetization would be nice, but it isn't necessary. I'd sacrifice cash for impact in this area. As for future pieces, I've analyzing my data (about 2000 observa…

Well - good luck whichever path you take. Re your future pieces they all sound interesting. Out of interest are you a natural intuitive "people person"? I am not - which is maybe why this stuff is so interesting to me. But when it's explained the explanations often feel "right", I wouldn't say emotions and interactions go entirely over my head.

Definitely not a natural intuitive "people person" though I am outgoing and get great joy and energy from meeting new people.

I was informally diagnosed with Asperger's by teachers at school. Also I didn't really get my social life together until I started doing what I do best — analyzing the crap out of how it all works.

Re: The Best Article Ever Written About Bragging

#130

Post by jacobolus »

akhilcacharya wrote: post #77

Absolutely love this article! This one especially popped out at me > IV Brag Gags: Avoiding Bragging At All Costs I've met too many people that say they "go to school near Boston" or "work in Mountain View". I don't think it's the intention, but more than the "status anxiety" part sometimes it feels like the other party seems like the listener isn't "worthy" of knowing, or at least should know from the implication if…

Some people will completely change the way they converse once they find out you have X status marker. A famous elite university is one of those markers that triggers a good number of them.

For example, they will instantly switch from friendly to standoffish, or they will redirect the whole conversation to be about this new information, or will start treating their interlocutor as a superior, or asking for some advice/help, or...

It’s not clear whether they have some insecurity about their own education, or just curiosity, or what, but it can be a real drag.

A different group consider themselves to be similarly elite, and will also completely change their conversation when they find another of their tribe, e.g. start talking about how much better “we” are than those rabble in a clubby way. This can also be super annoying.

I assume something similar happens when people find out you are rich, or won a prize, or have famous friends, etc., but “where did you go to school?” is a more common ice breaker than “how fat is your savings account?”

Deflection can save a lot of trouble.

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