Author Will Storr discusses the status game, our obsession with reputation, and the motivation to win or avoid losing this game through pride, shame, and ostracism. The podcast explores the role of humiliation, the human thirst for status, and how different cultures measure and achieve status using various symbols and rules. The speakers also express admiration and emphasize the importance of understanding and appreciation.
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Quick takeaways
The status game is an innate part of human cognition and motivates individuals to pursue higher levels of regard among their peers, shaping various aspects of human life.
Humiliation is seen as a powerful driving force in the status game, leading individuals to resort to violence and extreme behaviors as a means of escaping shame and reclaiming their sense of pride.
Social media platforms function as slot machines, providing inconsistent rewards that fulfill our need for status, but the pursuit of status on these platforms can lead to self-radicalization, self-harm, and even violence.
Deep dives
Humiliation and its connection to extreme behaviors
Humiliation is implicated in extreme behaviors such as spree killing, honor killing, serial murder, terrorism, and genocide. It is considered the 'nuclear bomb of emotions' and plays a significant role in driving individuals towards violent acts and seeking dominance.
The concept of the status game and its impact on human behavior
The status game is an innate part of human cognition and motivates individuals to pursue higher levels of regard among their peers. It revolves around the idea of gaining and maintaining status and encompasses behaviors related to dominance, virtue, and success. It shapes various aspects of human life, including politics, cults, conspiracy theories, social media, and extremism.
The role of humiliation in the status game
Humiliation is seen as a powerful driving force in the status game. It can lead individuals to resort to violence and extreme behaviors as a means of escaping shame and reclaiming their sense of pride. The fear of losing status and the desire to avoid humiliation play significant roles in shaping human behavior.
The evolution and impact of status games in human societies
Over time, human societies have developed different forms of status games. They started with dominance-oriented games and eventually expanded to include virtue and success games. The pursuit of status has influenced the emergence of communal living, the acquisition of new knowledge, and the development of societal structures. Status games are deeply ingrained in human nature and continue to shape our behaviors and interactions today.
The Power of Status in Human Behavior
Human behavior is deeply influenced by our pursuit of status, which is ingrained in our upbringing and culture. We are born with certain set rules for communal living, such as respecting hierarchy and sharing. These rules manifest naturally as our brains grow. However, as humans, we also have semi-finished brains, and childhood is about imprinting additional status game rules through parental training and education. Throughout our lives, we learn the specific status game rules of our time and place, which vary globally. For example, while Western cultures value individual status, Eastern cultures prioritize group status. Culture shock occurs when these status game rules clash, leading to feelings of alienation and confusion. Despite different cultural norms, there are basic rules for communal living that allow people from different cultures to get along as human beings.
Social Media as a Slot Machine for Status
Social media platforms have gained global success because they tap into our fundamental need for status. They function as slot machines, providing inconsistent rewards for every post or action, which keeps us engaged. Social media has become a dominant avenue for achieving and displaying status. Platforms like Instagram emphasize success as a form of status, while Twitter focuses on virtue and dominance. Online, we engage in status games, seeking validation through likes, followers, and virtual connections. Social media's addictive nature stems from its ability to fulfill our need for status. However, the pursuit of status on these platforms can lead to self-radicalization, self-harm, and even violence. Humiliation resulting from severe and sudden status loss can have devastating consequences, making the loss of status a trigger for destructive behaviors.
In this episode we welcome back author Will Storr whose new book, The Status Game, feels like required reading for anyone confused, curious, or worried about how politics, cults, conspiracy theories communities, social media, religious fundamentalism, polarization, and extremism are affecting us - everywhere, on and offline, across cultures, and across the world.
What is The Status Game? It’s our primate propensity to perpetually pursue points that will provide a higher level of regard among the people who can (if we provoked such a response) take those points away. And deeper still, it’s the propensity to, once we find a group of people who regularly give us those points, care about what they think more than just about anything else.
In the interview, we discuss our inescapable obsession with reputation and why we are deeply motivated to avoid losing this game through the fear of shame, ostracism, embarrassment, and humiliation while also deeply motivated to win this game by earning what will provide pride, fame, adoration, respect, and status.
