Loving something nerdy out loud gives everyone else permission to admit they love it too.

Enthusiasm is contagious in a way that cool never is. When one person admits they care about trains, or obscure maths, or a card game from 2006, the temperature of the room changes and two other people quietly stop hiding theirs. Everybody was waiting to see who would go first. Going first costs about ten seconds of exposure.

Mention the thing you actually love this week, in a normal voice, without the joke attached to protect you. Watch who leans in. That is a faster way to find your people than any amount of blending.