60% of our conversational time is spent talking about other people. And that's for men and women, contrary to the kind of psychics system idea that, that women gossip more than men. The prestige games of virtue and success are we play with our reputation. We have a reputation for being successful, reputation for being virtue virtuous or otherwise. Those reputations live or die in the ways that people are kind of gossiping about us.
“Life is a game. There’s no way to understand the human world without first understanding this. Everyone alive is playing a game whose hidden rules are built into us and that silently directs our thoughts, beliefs and actions. This game is inside us. It is us. We can’t help but play.”
So begins “The Status Game,” a new book by acclaimed writer Will Storr.
He continues: “We play for status, if only subtly, with every social interaction, every contribution we make to work, love or family life and every internet post. We play with how we dress, how we speak and what we believe. … Life is not a journey towards a perfect destination. It’s a game that never ends. And it’s the very worst of us.”
Does it have to be?
We may not be able to quit the status game, but Will says we can learn to play it better. In this episode, he explains how.
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