What is the most popular explanation for involution?

The popular explanation of involution is internal competition. Everyone can get limited resources, but everyone's efforts far exceed the necessary conditions. In the end, most people lost.

Take the popular employment chestnuts as an example. Originally, everyone graduated from college and worked after graduation, and everyone felt nothing. However, people who take the postgraduate entrance examination can get better jobs. As a result, everyone went to the postgraduate entrance examination, but the jobs in the society remained unchanged. Therefore, after the postgraduate entrance examination, the positions and benefits obtained by graduate students are the same as those obtained by previous undergraduates.

Another example is the college entrance examination. Originally, the score of a province was 500, but suddenly a hell university appeared, forcing students to study hard and getting higher and higher scores. However, the total enrollment of major colleges and universities remains unchanged, and only the scores can be increased. At the end of students' efforts, only a few people can be admitted to their favorite institutions.

The so-called involution means that the internal competition is becoming more and more fierce when the total amount of resources remains unchanged.