Get shot down cuz you're over-zealous / Play hard-to-get, females get jealous -Young MC, 1988 or so In all seriousness, if this is a strategy to make yourself

Get shot down cuz you're over-zealous / Play hard-to-get, females get jealous -Young MC, 1988 or so In all seriousness, if this is a strategy to make yourself look better than you are, shouldn't prospective partners ask why you need to do that? Doesn't your playing hard-to-get imply that you're the desperate one, on some level? Or rather it's the "I drive a Dodge Stratus" of dating. It separates/differentiates you from the lowest tier, but I think those who are truly in the top tier will probably use some kind of counter-signaling approach. Welcome to the wonderful world of over-thinking it and trying to game the system.