552: Will Storr | Understanding Social Position and the Status Game
Aug 26, 2021
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Will Storr, an award-winning investigative journalist and author of The Status Game, explores the fascinating dynamics of social status. He discusses how status has evolutionary roots that impact survival and innovation. Storr breaks down the three status games—dominance, virtue, and success—and reveals their psychological consequences, including links between low status and depression. The conversation touches on why job titles can outweigh salaries in terms of happiness, inviting listeners to reconsider their own status pursuits.
Status plays a vital role in human survival and drives innovation.
Different types of status games include dominance, virtue, and success.
Low status can lead to mental health issues like depression and suicide.
Deep dives
The Importance of Social Status in Human Interactions
Social status plays a crucial role in human interactions, impacting how individuals compare themselves to others in their tribe. People tend to play status games with those around them, not with distant individuals, focusing on achieving status in their immediate social circle. The podcast explores how humans engage in status games to earn respect, resources, and better opportunities within their tribes.
Understanding the Evolution of Human Status Games
Human status games can be traced back to our evolutionary history, wherein earning status within a group facilitated access to resources, mates, and safety. The podcast delves into the concept that joining groups and gaining status have been fundamental for human survival and reproduction. This subconscious drive to earn status shapes our behaviors and interactions in various aspects of life, motivating us to strive for achievement and recognition.
Cognitive Impact of Status on Mental Health
The podcast discusses the connection between low status and mental health issues, highlighting how loss of status can lead to depression and even suicide. Individuals who rapidly lose status or compare themselves negatively to others in their immediate environment are more vulnerable to mental health challenges. Understanding the impact of status on mental well-being sheds light on how human cognition responds to shifts in social standing.
Differentiating Between Dominance and Prestige in Status Games
The podcast distinguishes between dominance and prestige as forms of status seeking behavior. While dominance games involve displays of power and physical strength, prestige involves earning respect and influence through virtues and skills. The discussion highlights that individuals can adopt different strategies to gain status, whether through dominance, virtue, or competence, impacting how they are perceived within their social groups.
Analysis of Prince Harry in relation to the royal family
Prince Harry's status and competence are scrutinized in relation to his connection with the royal family. Despite distancing himself from royal duties, criticisms suggest he is still reliant on his royal title for status. Questions arise regarding his work ethic and the source of his prominence, highlighting a need for independence from his royal lineage to establish credibility and respect.
Insights into Cancel Culture and Native Human Behaviors
The podcast delves into the concept of cancel culture, drawing parallels to ancient human behavioral patterns of punishment and consensus-building. Cancel culture is described as a modern manifestation of age-old social mechanisms where consensus and gossip dictate consequences. The discussion emphasizes the evolution of cancel culture as a reflection of human instincts for social hierarchy, status, and group dynamics.
