The whole rep point/rep bar system is an enigma, even to mods. No one seems to know 100% how they all work together. I can say that 'likes' have no bearing on it at all. Some people say they understand, but how they do and the people who run the site don't tends to baffle me. Also they tend to be in conflict with one another over certain points.
If you're looking to have the green dots show under your name, most likely you'll have to wait for a mod to respond or see this post.
But at the end of the day it's not very relevant. People who agree with you or like you won't be paying attention to how many bubbles you have. And the same goes with those who disagree with or dislike you. And since any reason can be given for using them, it really doesn't reflect a whole lot on anything. I've had people give me rep points to say bad things to me, because it's anonymous.
But yes, sometimes the fact that something isn't working right, even if it's meaningless, can drive you crazy.