Scott Alexander responds to comments on polyamory, providing data and addressing concerns about relationship satisfaction, child-rearing, and abuse risks in poly relationships. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to comments on his previous posts about polyamory, addressing various arguments and providing data where possible. He discusses statistics on relationship satisfaction and child-rearing in poly vs. monogamous relationships, addresses concerns about abuse risks, and shares personal observations. The post touches on cultural perceptions of polyamory, its prevalence among different groups, and potential societal impacts. Scott also reflects on some new insights he gained from the discussion, particularly around child-rearing in poly relationships and abuse risks. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander analyzes survey results showing high parental satisfaction among his blog readers, comparing the findings to existing research and discussing their implications. Longer summary

Scott Alexander analyzes survey results about parental satisfaction among his blog readers. The survey shows that respondents are overwhelmingly happy with their decision to have children, with a mean satisfaction of 4.43 out of 5. This holds true across genders. When controlling for various factors, the data suggests a trend of increasing life satisfaction with more children. Scott compares these results to existing research, noting similarities and differences. He discusses potential reasons for discrepancies between direct questions about parental happiness and indirect life satisfaction measures. The post also explores correlations between personality traits and parental satisfaction. Scott concludes by reflecting on how these results inform his personal consideration of whether to have children. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines self-serving bias and status quo defense using Oregon's gas station law change, arguing for better rational debate skills to navigate societal changes. Longer summary

This post discusses the self-serving bias through the lens of Oregon's recent law allowing self-service gas stations in some areas, which sparked outrage among some Oregonians. Scott Alexander uses this example to explore how people tend to defend the status quo and view changes as potentially catastrophic, even when those changes are normal elsewhere. He extends this idea to various fields, including medicine, child-rearing practices, and social norms. The post argues that we often rely on intuitions about absurdity to make judgments, but these intuitions can vary greatly between cultures and even states. Scott suggests that this reliance on intuition is concerning because it means that if something loses its 'protective coating of absurdity,' we must resort to rational debate to defend it - a process our society isn't particularly good at. He concludes by encouraging readers to apply the same level of scrutiny to their own beliefs that they would expect from Oregonians questioning their gas station laws. Shorter summary