A lot of the people who end up maybe on the wrong side of the truth, and in these cases doing some real harm, fully sincerely believe what they're saying. The brain has, as I said before, it values what do I have to believe in order to instate as my community much more than it values the truth. We don't choose our beliefs like we choose, you know, melons in the supermarket. A belief's going to happen to us. It's a subconscious thing. And I think it's like with these Q and E interviewers: People miss that they sincerely believe the things that they believe is crazy, it might seem.
“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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