This would mean social cues are really bad at reliably conveying information. That seems detrimental to both signalers and recipients. Why wouldn’t people evolve better cues, or supplement with more explicit signaling, like words?
Because social cues are about lying more effectively, not conveying information reliably.
Disagreements on interpretations of social cues between romantic partners with respect to a third party are, I think, a matter of trope at this point. Whether or not they’re genuinely disagreeing is a different matter, but given that context, ambiguity is the mark of a good execution of a social cue.
Because social cues are about lying more effectively, not conveying information reliably.
Whether or not a cue is truthful, what’s surprising is the idea that it would be unclear—that people would disagree on what it’s intended to mean.
Disagreements on interpretations of social cues between romantic partners with respect to a third party are, I think, a matter of trope at this point. Whether or not they’re genuinely disagreeing is a different matter, but given that context, ambiguity is the mark of a good execution of a social cue.