People say you won't use the things you learn in higher math
in real life: if x is this and y is this solve for z.

But finding a lost variable is vital to social survival.
If x is how long you've been talking, and y is how interesting you are, solve for how annoyed they are at you.

You then take this answer and use it as b in the equation of your self-worth where a is your natural talent at anything and c squared is how the expression on others faces change when they see you. Then raise all of this to the power of m, which here means your economic status and solve for s or how valuable of a person you are.

But even with this answer, there is some doubt: a fear that you rounded a number wrong or dropped a negative. You think s was positive, but that could have been a mistake so you run these calculations over and over... waiting to be worthless.