“When you want to seduce a woman, Stendhal advises, court her sister first.”

The 48 Laws of Power, Law 20, Do Not Commit to Anyone

As intensely social creatures, we humans experience what is known as memetic desire.

This idea follows the premise that our desires are often modelled and shaped by the desires of others.

Essentially, it suggests that we humans do not know what we want independently, and so we imitate the desires of those around us.

This concept can relate to material goods—we covet the watch, car, or house that everyone else wants.

More importantly, this notion can also relate to other humans—if we see that someone is desired by other people, we tend to find this person more desirable too.

With that being said, referring back to the original quote, courting a woman’s sister is a tactic meant to spark competitiveness or possessiveness in the woman we actually desire.