If incels are less attractive and less well-off than the average (I don’t know if they are, but it seems plausible), then they will be more affected by women’s financial and attractiveness preferences than the average, which in turn will inform their views. So the “thinking error” might be based on actual experience.
You can be the most kind and funny person in the world, but if you don't get matches on dating apps, you're going to have a hard time.
I think it is hard to overestimate the importance of looks if they're the barrier to you simply getting started. But this is the realm of social sciences, so I guess none of this research is concrete anyway.
It's relative to what the female participants self reported as being important.
"My point in the GP post is that they may not actually be overestimating them relative to their personal experience."
Agreed.
"The article isn’t saying that attractiveness and financials aren’t important, but that incels are overestimating them,"
The actual study shows both incel and non-incel groups had similar estimation "errors" but with incels being slightly to somewhat farther from the baseline.
I would argue that the majority of people underestimate or even lie about the importance of looks.
People in you day to day life would notice you being the “most kind and funny person in the world”, you stand out in school, word would spread “you have to meet them”, you get invited to parties, events, you meet people outside of apps