A rising tide lifts all boats

A rising tide lifts all boats is the antithesis to the crab bucket mentality. It describes a strategy of social interaction wherein one improves the situation of the group which also benefits the individual. Adherents may not obsess so much over individual placement on a dominance hierarchy, but rather the collective success of their peergroup.

Dating

Someone who takes this approach may help other people in their journey of sexual success to as to build a cooperative venture in mate success. Academia suggests that in most species of intelligent animals, the males compete for sexual access in groups instead of individually.

Clarification

The mentality does not necessarily imply altruism. The mentality does not imply a fixed "team spirit" either, as one can maintain the mentality by leaving a team and joining another team, or by supporting multiple teams to various degrees depending on the circumstances. One can also join multiple teams that seem adversarial on the surface, but still benefit all teams, so as to 'rise the tide' of those who share a similar grievance.

See also

• Crab bucket
• altruism
• charity