People who aren’t trying to be liked often end up being the most liked.

Effort to be liked is audible, and it changes what people are responding to. When somebody is managing your opinion of them you can feel the management, and it makes them harder to trust rather than easier to like. Someone simply being themselves gives you something solid to like, which is what people are actually drawn to.

Drop one small piece of the performance this week. Disagree gently when you disagree, admit you have not seen the show, laugh at what you genuinely find funny. Being easy to read is more attractive than being easy to approve of.