Top all-time · #1932
Rob Henderson
Personal blog · robkhenderson.comculturephilosophy
Rob Henderson's personal blog at robkhenderson.com covers culture and philosophy. Since 2021, 38 different Hacker News readers have linked it 121 times, most often “I Read: Non-secrets for voracious reading”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-11-01, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (8) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN commenters link Rob Henderson's posts on status games, social signalling and psychology, including the Marshmallow Test and imitating high-status people. One commenter credits him with coining 'luxury beliefs'.
- Recommended for · 2 comments
- Called a 'big fan' pick and said to offer 'deep insights in human psychology' from an unusual background.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 8 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Human nature, psychology, social class, luxury beliefs, and more. Click to read Rob Henderson's Newsletter, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.
Most-linked posts?
- I Read: Non-secrets for voracious reading3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2023-11-05
- Tony Soprano and the Jungian Death Mother (2023)3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2023-07-02
- The Machiavellian Maze2 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2023-12-10
- Killing a Bad Strategy Before It Kills You2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2025-02-09
- Sometimes Money Can Destroy You Faster Than Poverty2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2025-03-16
- Why Dumb Ideas Capture Smart and Successful People2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2023-11-19
- America's Future Leaders Are Learning to Become Grifters2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2026-02-15
- Despite What They Say, Elite Colleges Don't Promote Equity2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2023-08-06
- Parental Selection in Human Evolution2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2023-08-13
- America's Lost Boys and Me2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2024-02-11
What Hacker News says?
That’s not what the twin studies have shown. It’s not only the most extreme cases, it’s anything short of the very good circumstances. For example, the stable homes families have to prove they have to adopt. Cyril-f “twin”. https://www.robkhenderson.com/p/no-one-expects-young-men-to-...
Comment linking /p/no-one-expects-young-men-to-do-anything
on “The Marshmallow Test does not reliably predict adult functioning”Submitted No one expects young men to do anything and they respond by doing nothing (2022) as a story · 234 points
HN discussionI would argue that people in academia or other tightly coupled bubbles where your career and thus well-being are far more reliant on how your peers evaluate you (especially in humanities where peer reviews are nearly the sole factor of success) is far more tribalist than a typical blue-collar or office environment. https://www.robkhenderson.com/p/how-dumb-ideas-capture-smart...
Comment linking /p/how-dumb-ideas-capture-smart-and
on “Maybe Bluesky has "won"”Submitted The question of poverty vs. instability as a story · 111 points
HN discussionBe wary of imitating high status people who can afford to counter signal. https://www.robkhenderson.com/p/the-perils-of-imitating-high...
Comment linking /p/the-perils-of-imitating-high-status
on “The Moat of Low Status”Submitted Friendship and Social Fitness as a story · 81 points
HN discussionThe OP has a useful framing of status being attributed in verticals but we'll still (illogically) struggle with this logic. Inwardly we'll compare the status of a doctor, lawyer, or software engineer vs. our profession like a game of Top Trumps. Status games are fundamental evolutionary behaviours however much we want to believe otherwise. Here are a couple of relevant pull quotes from https://www.robkhenderson.com/…
Comment linking /p/what-is-social-status
on “The Economics of Status (2006)”Submitted Dating, education, and sex ratios as a story · 74 points
HN discussionbig fan of the below: -Bookbear Express: https://ava.substack.com/ -Cedric Chin (not a Substack): https://commoncog.com/ -Henrik Karlsson: https://escapingflatland.substack.com/ -Rob Henderson: https://www.robkhenderson.com/ -Robin Hanson: https://www.overcomingbias.com/
Comment linking /
on “Ask HN: Which substacks do you read as soon as it hits your inbox?”Submitted The Distinctiveness of Human Aggression (2022) as a story · 30 points
HN discussionRob Henderson - deep insights in human psychology from the Lens of an ivy-league educated academic who grew up as an impoverished foster kid. Also coined the term “luxury beliefs” https://www.robkhenderson.com/
Comment linking /
on “Ask HN: Which substacks do you read as soon as it hits your inbox?”Submitted Experts and Elites Play Fundamentally Different Games as a story · 27 points
HN discussionbad link, fixed: https://www.robkhenderson.com/p/weaponizing-anger-is-a-usefu...
Comment linking /p/weaponizing-anger-is-a-useful-political
on “Weaponizing Anger Is a Useful Political Strategy”Submitted How To Choose A Romantic Partner: What psychology tells us as a story · 15 points
HN discussionSee also: Be Wary of Imitating High-Status People Who Can Afford to Countersignal https://www.robkhenderson.com/p/the-perils-of-imitating-high...
Comment linking /p/the-perils-of-imitating-high-status
on “a thread”Submitted The Machiavellian Maze as a story · 14 points
HN discussionSubmitted Two-Parent Families Are More Important Than College as a story · 13 points
HN discussionSubmitted Sometimes Money Can Destroy You Faster Than Poverty as a story · 12 points
HN discussionSubmitted America's Future Leaders Are Learning to Become Grifters as a story · 7 points
HN discussionSubmitted It's Time to Stop Blaming Misinformation for Cynicism and Mistrust as a story · 7 points
HN discussionSubmitted Tony Soprano and the Jungian Death Mother (2023) as a story · 7 points
HN discussionSubmitted Luxury Beliefs Are Status Symbols as a story · 7 points
HN discussionSubmitted Being a Writer in the Era of Influencer as a story · 6 points
HN discussionSubmitted I've Learned That Olive Garden Is Not Impressive to a Lot of People as a story · 6 points
HN discussionSubmitted Orwell in the Gutter as a story · 6 points
HN discussionSubmitted How the luxury beliefs of an educated elite erode society as a story · 6 points
HN discussionSubmitted Without Belief in a God, but Never Without Belief in a Devil as a story · 6 points
HN discussionSubmitted Improving Character Is Easier Than Improving IQ as a story · 5 points
HN discussionSubmitted You Don't Want to Learn Everything the Hard Way as a story · 5 points
HN discussionSubmitted Erotic Plasticity and Male Resentment as a story · 4 points
HN discussion
