trippledubs,

It has been far too long since I sat in a statistics class, and thus I remember too little to comment on your theory from that perspective. I can, however, comment on my time here.

As others have stated above, PM is primarily a meritocracy. As one participates (in discussions and threads), one is judged by their peers (the body monktorate), who may decide that their contribution is worthy of reward, or requiring of penance, or neither. There is no requirement that a monk view the site with a particular frequency, nor that they view any particular thread. As a result, neither reward or penance is a requirement, nor a guarantee. To expect that posting "requires" a reward of XP will (and should) result in disappointment. Instead, you should consider doing "the work" for its own sake.

I will admit that when I wore a younger monk's robes (boy, were they mad when they found out), there were times when there was a bit of excitement as I noticed the approach of a level's threshold, and that it sometimes encouraged me to look for ways to participate more. Having been helped by so many so often (that I cannot recall them all, but hope I remembered to thank them at the time), I have found that I want to pay that debt forward by offering assistance when my (limited) experience could add to the quality of the site, not just the quantity. I still find myself learning something new quite often when I visit the site (even after almost 16 years). When I can craft a answer of (at least some) quality to the assistance of a fellow monk, that has become its own reward. If an answer I post receives positive feedback, it is nice, but not a requirement; if negative feedback, I do not take it personally but try to learn from any comments that are made about it so I can improve my abilities-both on and off the site.

Marcus Aurelius reminded himself that "[a]mbition means tying your well-being to what other people say or do", while "[s]anity means tying it to your own actions." You cannot control the environment, only your response to it. Strive for your own improvement, let doing good work be enough, and I suspect you will find the time much more enjoyable.

Hope that helps.

(Disclaimer: As I posted this, I found (to my surprise) I was currently 105th on the list in question. Learning that did not change any of the thoughts above.)