It’s hard to hide pretense

Whether you’re a person or a brand, people know when you’re not being true. They might not call you out on it, but the odds of you making a genuine connection with them is also remote.

Pretense works when there isn’t much at stake. But when things get serious, you’ll be found out.

Reach out to someone only when you need them and they’ll remember you as an opportunist.

In the long run, empathy and honesty score over pretense. While you might see people making short-term gains by using pretense, they get found out in the long run.

Choose better. Play the long game. It will come to your aid when you really need it.