It’s easy to misread these gestures as signs of confidence, sophistication, or lack thereof. But that’s a mistake. What we’re really seeing is social conditioning—habits shaped by upbringing, access, and repeated experiences.
Restaurants are cultural spaces with unspoken rules. The more often you’ve been exposed to them, the more “natural” those rules feel. The less exposure you’ve had, the more effort it takes to navigate them.
None of this says anything about a person’s intelligence, worth, or character.
The Invisible Code We All Learn
The most fascinating part is that most people aren’t aware they’re sending these signals at all. They’re not trying to reveal their background. They’re simply acting in ways that feel normal to them.
And that’s the real takeaway: social class isn’t just about money. It’s about comfort, familiarity, and the invisible codes we absorb over time.
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