No Matter How Advanced Technology Gets, We Still Make Decisions With Our Genes

The story goes like this: I’ve been pondering a question lately—given how insanely advanced technology is today, why do we still have to spend so much time dressing up and managing our personal image?

Author: Koutian Wu; GitHub: ktwu01

To be completely honest, if you look at it purely rationally, it’s pretty absurd.

Nowadays, we look at resumes, portfolios, and even use AI to filter candidates. In theory, whether a person is competent for a job or not, the data is already there.

But the really fascinating thing is, no matter how good the data looks, when you actually sit in front of that person, your decision is often swayed by an indescribable “feeling.”

Why is that?

The truth is, no matter how our tools evolve, human brains are still stuck in the pre-modern era. We think we are using reason, but actually, we are still making decisions with our genes.

Huang Zhizhong brought up a very interesting point before. He said that when people choose a leader, they often aren’t rationally judging whether he truly understands the business or can lead the team well.

They are looking for the “feeling of leadership.”

That might sound a bit harsh but, if you think about it, that’s often how reality works. That demeanor when speaking, the steady gaze, or even just a sense of confidence that makes you feel “following this guy is the right move.” These things combine to form a massive trust endorsement.

We are really just a bunch of primitive people in suits.

In a primitive tribe, everyone followed the guy who looked the strongest, yelled the loudest, and was least afraid of death, because our genes told us that following him meant a higher survival rate.

The modern workplace operates on the exact same logic. The person who doesn’t stutter, doesn’t panic when things go wrong, and dresses appropriately is broadcasting a signal: “I got this.” That signal hits the amygdala way harder than a string of cold numbers on a resume.

This explains why improving our speaking demeanor and confidence can dramatically increase the trust others place in us.

At the end of the day, it’s really just that this stuff provides emotional value and a sense of security to others.

I sometimes feel like this is a fundamental bug in humanity. We know full well that those external things don’t necessarily represent true ability, yet we can’t help but be drawn to them.

But it really makes you think, since this is an open bug, rather than complaining about the world being unfair, we might as well figure out how to navigate it.

This isn’t about teaching you to deceive people, nor is it about pretending to be someone you’re fundamentally not.

It’s about making sure that when you actually have the capability, you don’t let your terrible presentation and awkward body language drag you down. You have to learn how to project that “feeling of leadership.”

What an era we live in, friends.

The faster technology advances, the more those fundamental human weaknesses are exposed. All we can do is recognize this reality, and try to live as rationally as possible in this irrational world.

Smoothing out some of the information asymmetry.