Even if optimizing your appearance adds little marginal advantage in any given situation, it adds up quickly, and I suspect that advantage can actually be fairly large in situations where there’s not much to go on except a first impression.
I in general agree with this assessment. It does add up. But there might be an area where it doesn’t.
To give a concrete example: During school I avoided fashion, pop culture and socializing. I felt that it gained me nothing and take time away from my much more interesting subjects like math and (later) computer. Arrogantly I thought myself above this. Intentionally misunderstood jokes. Committed to be different. This made me an outsider during school (luckily without becoming subject to bullying). But it did allow me lots of time to study.
Only much later when my interests expanded to include evobiosociopsychology did I really grasp the effect. I believe that I have been a quick learner since. The only penalty that appears to be difficult to compensate is relations. I have only a small circle of acquaintances and I’m not sure I can (or want to) build it up. But I’m also not completely convinced that the business landscape requires this.
To end the example: Is it worthwile to focus ones skills on one area—an intellectual area that my promise to pay back with compound interest later—and to pick up other areas later (though possibly completely excluding some areas)? Or should one rather advance all areas at once (albeith possibly with different weight)? Or does it depend?
For me it was a most successful strategy so far—though it could have been just luck and chance.
I in general agree with this assessment. It does add up. But there might be an area where it doesn’t.
To give a concrete example: During school I avoided fashion, pop culture and socializing. I felt that it gained me nothing and take time away from my much more interesting subjects like math and (later) computer. Arrogantly I thought myself above this. Intentionally misunderstood jokes. Committed to be different. This made me an outsider during school (luckily without becoming subject to bullying). But it did allow me lots of time to study.
Only much later when my interests expanded to include evobiosociopsychology did I really grasp the effect. I believe that I have been a quick learner since. The only penalty that appears to be difficult to compensate is relations. I have only a small circle of acquaintances and I’m not sure I can (or want to) build it up. But I’m also not completely convinced that the business landscape requires this.
To end the example: Is it worthwile to focus ones skills on one area—an intellectual area that my promise to pay back with compound interest later—and to pick up other areas later (though possibly completely excluding some areas)? Or should one rather advance all areas at once (albeith possibly with different weight)? Or does it depend?
For me it was a most successful strategy so far—though it could have been just luck and chance.