When you take a shortcut on the road it doesn't mean you'll instantly arrive at your destination like some sort of teleportation portal.

It's just a shorter route compared to the one other people are taking. You still need to drive down that road, you still need to burn some time and some fuel and incur some wear and tear.

Same thing with seduction. It would probably be more accurate to say, "You can't instantly change for the better" not, "there is no shortcut".

The difference is, shortcuts aren't instant.

There definitely are quicker ways to get to the place you wanna get to with the opposite sex.

You learn from a shitty resource, you're gonna take way too long. You learn from a really good resource and you'll get there quicker.

There is absolutely merit in trying to find more clever ways to achieve an outcome. There are definitely shortcuts in seduction and they are earned just like the things you went the long way for because you still have to drive down both roads, one just happened to be shorter.

Shortcuts are just as if not more valid because it arguably takes more brain power to achieve things quicker and more efficiently.