The Hidden Rules of Social Hierarchies

A woman walks into a coffee shop and sees two people she knows. One is her boss. One is a friend. She waves at both—but only sits down with one.When her boss walks by on his way out, she straightens up. She smiles differently. She says, "Oh hey, I didn't see you come in," even though she did.Later, her friend asks why she lied.She says, "I don't know. It just felt weird."But she does know. She just can't name it.These are The Hidden Rules of Social Hierarchies.