Society
Status Anxiety: 6 key ideas
The core ideas of Status Anxiety, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
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- IDEA 1 OF 6
Status anxiety
Worry about how others see us drives much modern unhappiness, often more than material need.
- IDEA 2 OF 6
Five causes
Lack of love, rising expectations, meritocracy, snobbery and dependence on others' approval feed the anxiety.
- IDEA 3 OF 6
The cruelty of meritocracy
If success is earned, failure feels deserved.
Meritocracy can add shame to misfortune.
- IDEA 4 OF 6
Philosophy and art help
They offer other measures of value and remind us how arbitrary status can be.
- IDEA 5 OF 6
Religion and community
Many traditions give people worth independent of rank.
- IDEA 6 OF 6
Bohemia
Alternative communities choose different values and escape conventional status races.
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