value still matters

influence = value ÷ distance²

but let’s not forget that value is still in the numerator.

you can’t get closer to powerful people if you bring nothing to the table.

you can’t build a tribe if no one sees you as worth following.

so why are we drawn to high-value people?

because value signals utility and abundance.

competence, status, insight, resources, or relationships.

anything that improves our odds of survival or reproduction.

in evolutionary terms, it’s adaptive to pay attention to value. especially value that’s hard to fake.

take clothing, for example.

“Maybe you’re an uppity rebel who resents women judging you by your clothing. Too bad. This is a game you can’t opt out of. Every outfit, no matter how informal or thoughtless, sends all kinds of signals to every woman who sees it. Dressing like a slob to show that you don’t care about clothing is still a signal; to most women, it’s a signal of immaturity, poverty, or, worst-case scenario, a big red flag about potential depression issues. So recognize what signals you want to send the world about yourself, and consciously select the clothing that best approximates those signals.”

— Tucker Max & Geoffrey Miller, Mate

clothing is a signal.

signals are information.

information communicates value.

whether you mean it to or not.

everything you do—or don’t do—creates an impression:

• your tone of voice
• your social media presence
• how you enter a room
• how you leave a room
• your shoes

it’s all part of the value that people perceive.

and if people don’t perceive value in you,

you’ll be held at a distance.

and distance matters more than value.

but your value decides whether they’ll bother to close it.

that’s not fashion advice.

it’s anthroponautics.

Colin

p.s. reply "value" if you'd like access to my Google Sheet to analyze your value in comparison with others in your Dunbar Layers.