Questions

I feel like a lot of people do at least a little.

Kinda like when you're playing strategy games/sports where you read someone's movements and adjust because a different action is the better play to maximize your chance at winning. Sometimes you draw up plays with your boys/girls and most of them are usually bad at giving advice but every now and then there's someone who has mastered the game.

If you think this is terribly inhumane and manipulative then I'd love to hear your success story and/or what advice you'd give to someone who's terribly shy and socially anxious. If it's "be confident" and/or "be yourself", how? It isn't that easy for some people. I'm speaking from experience.

I think it's all fair unless you're intentionally doing something that you know would hurt someone just for your own gain. Often both men and women want the strategies to be done on them. This doesn't have to be super complex. It could be as simple as positioning yourself closer to the person you like.