If there’s one thing I’ve learned from finance bros, it’s that they have a way of making everything about strategy. Whether we’re discussing fantasy football at happy hour or trying to bribe the bouncer at Automatic Slim’s, it always comes down to evaluating risks, minimizing losses and never over-investing.
This became glaringly clear when I was out with a group of friends last weekend. After finessing a table at a crowded sports bar, the conversation eventually turned to a recent date one of said bros had been on. “Oh no, I like her, but I’m not going to text until after the weekend,” Kevin said while keeping his eyes on the game overhead. When I asked him why, he shrugged. “I’m with my boys, and it was only a second date… If she thinks I’m too interested, she’s the one who will lose interest.” There it was—strategy at play. The chorus nods of agreement from the other guys told me that dating wasn’t so much about connection here; it was about maintaining their sense of agency.
And so, as someone who’s made a career of translating financial terms into dating, I consulted with the OG finance bro in my life, my dad. “That’s the Principle of Least Interest,” he surmised. Turns out, the person who cares less, just like a broker hedging their investments, is always the one with the upper hand.
In any exchange, whether it’s between businesses or brokers, the party that is less invested has more power.