Publication Date
3-1-2022
Abstract
At first glance, from the general decision-theory viewpoint, hate (and other negative feelings towards each other) makes no sense, since they decrease the utility (i.e., crudely speaking, level of happiness) of the person who experiences these feelings. Our detailed analysis shows that there are situations when such negative feelings make perfect sense: namely, when you have a large group of people almost all of whom are objectively unhappy. In such situations -- e.g., on the battlefield -- negative feelings help keep their spirits high in spite of the harsh situation. This explanation leads to recommendations on how to decrease the amount of negative feelings.
Comments
Technical Report: UTEP-CS-22-34