Is tonearm bias a compromise, maybe a myth?

I recently decided to check my tonearm/cartridge setup: alignment protractor, tracking force gauge, checked VTA, bias weight, etc. as over my many years with turntables and tonearms I have been surprised to discover that "shift happens". I have a very low mass arm with a very high compliance MM tracking at 1.25 gms. There was just a minor shift this time in tracking force. But afterwards I was really surprised at how much more depth there was to the soundstage and greater subtle details. I was then gobsmacked by the discovery that I had forgotten to re-attach the bias weight thread! Applying Lateral Bias seems to compromise performance elsewhere, true?