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That "logic" could also be reversed just as easily. Someone with poor professional skills might feel more pressure to compensate by "looking sharp". Neither is
by shkkmo 5y ago
That "logic" could also be reversed just as easily. Someone with poor professional skills might feel more pressure to compensate by "looking sharp". Neither is actually "logic" but just post hoc justification of bias that generalizes a subset of cases without any data on their prevalence when in reality, that prevalence is highly contextual.
In my experience, some people place a high priority and gain significant pleasure from looking sharp, while others consider it a chore and would prefer to minimize the time spent on it. Thus a significant part of the "looking sharp" signal is measuring preference and priorities rather than level of successful execution.
In addition, issues with hygiene are more common in people with ADHD, autism etc so if you over apply this metric you may end up excluding some very smart, neurodiverse individuals.
If you see a rundown looking restraunt, you might conclude it isn't worth trying, but you'd be better off looking at how busy it is or the reviews. A rundown restraunt with a line out the door is probably gonna be better than a sharp looking restraunt with no customers, especially if they are side by side (in the same context). Beyond that, if I see a sharp restraunt and a dingy restraunt, both with lines out the door, I will pick the dingy one because I see that as signaling higher confidence that the consistent quality of their food will drive all the repeat business they want.
Edit: I'd also point out that "smart looking" is intricately tied into social class status signaling in many contexts.
- epolanski 5y ago> Someone with poor professional skills might feel more pressure to compensate by "looking sharp". To look sharp and fit you HAVE to be disciplined. That's a fact. Yours, is a speculation. That is a difference. Notice that I have never said that being a disciplined individual, which is a fact for who takes lots of care about himself implies a better professional, or a more self disciplined worker. That being said, imho, there is a correlation between those things. If someone has good self discipline often he can probably translate this at a place of work or study.
- shkkmo 5y ago> to look sharp and fit you HAVE to be disciplined. That's a fact. Again, not in my experience. There are other ways to be fit than a rigorous workout scheme and diet. Some people are fit as a side effect of something they love to do. A mountain biking enthusiast doesn't have to be disciplined to be fit, just a little obsessed. Some people have obsessive body issues and their level of exercise is the result of an unhealthy lack of discipline. You are whitewashing a complex topic with your bias and stating it as an unassailable fact. I think it is easy to confuse obsession with discipline sometimes. I think the obsessed tend to outperform the disciplined in their areas of focus and the combination of the two can lead to quite incredible things. Edit: I will say that a lack of fitness can be a sign of a lack of discipline IF you know the context of the goals and priorities of that individual, but as a stand alone signal, it is meaningless without specific contexts.