Book SummaryThe Status Game, by Will Storr

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Status Game

Humans are fundamentally motivated by social status: by the drive to attain it, to gain more of it, to recover it—and, sometimes, to take revenge when we’ve lost it. Status isn’t just about wanting others to like us: We evolved to live in social groups, and to gain the survival advantages conferred by belonging to a group, we need to gain status.

In The Status Game (2021), journalist Will Storr—author of The Science of Storytelling (2020) and...

The Status Game Summary What Is a Status Game?

You might not think of yourself as a person who cares about status. Yet Storr writes that not only are you constantly competing for status, but the need for status is wired into your brain. That might not be a flattering picture: We all see ourselves as the hero of our story, and we like to think that we’re defined by what we do, not by our need for others’ approval. But, Storr argues, the basic drive to gain status within our social groups is a product of how humans evolved as a species.

(Shortform note: Neuroscientists agree with Storr that our intense interest in status can be tracked in the brain. Researchers have found that our brains are so sensitive to information about social hierarchies that we can’t ignore cues about other people’s status, even when that information isn’t relevant to the task at hand. This suggests that status is hard-wired into the brain and strongly influences how we interact with other people.)

In this section of the guide, we’ll explore how Storr defines status and how the competition for status becomes a game. Then, we’ll outline the types of status games we play and the...

The Status Game Summary Why Do We Play Status Games?

Storr explains that on a basic level, we play status games because we evolved to do so. But the reasons that we play status games are more numerous and nuanced than that. In this section of the guide, we’ll explore some of the evolutionary, psychological, and social reasons that we play status games.

We Evolved to Compete for Status

Storr explains that early in human evolution, prehumans played dominance games that relied on aggression and violence. Then, as early humans evolved to live together and rely on collaboration to survive, social intelligence became more important than aggression. Members of a group could gain status through a success game by sharing knowledge or skills that could help the group. They could also gain status through a virtue game by demonstrating virtues like courage or generosity, or by exhibiting a commitment to the good of the group.

(Shortform note: Many experts believe that the survival advantage of living in groups had a crucial influence on human evolution. A key theory is the “social brain hypothesis” proposed by...

The Status Game Summary What Happens When Status Games Go Wrong?

Storr writes that a status game is successful when it generates status for its members and for the group as a whole. Though we have plenty of reasons to play status games and we derive benefit from these games, they have a dark side. In this section of the guide, we’ll look at the ways that status games can go wrong and the consequences that follow.

Status Games Induce Feelings of Grandiosity—and Humiliation

One way that a status game can go wrong is by producing a dangerous mix of emotions in its players. Storr explains that a natural consequence of status games is that the competition induces a sense of grandiosity, or exaggerated self-regard, in the game’s players. However, if the game fails to reward us in the way we expected, or we gain status and then lose it, our sense of grandiosity turns into humiliation, or a loss of pride or self-respect.

(Shortform note: Grandiosity and humiliation sometimes come up in the context of narcissism, a trait experts describe as an intense desire for appreciation or admiration. There are [two kinds of...

The Status Game Summary How Can We Play Status Games Without Getting Hurt?

Though it sounds wise to opt out of playing status games, given the above risks, it’s impossible to disengage from them completely. But Storr writes that it’s possible to protect ourselves from the dangers of status games. In this section of the guide, we’ll explore the principles that Storr recommends following in order to play status games without getting hurt.

Play Healthy Games—and Keep Your Priorities Straight

One way to avoid the dangers of status games is to play the right games. According to Storr, we need to play success games (games of skills or knowledge), not virtue games or dominance games. He also recommends picking games with small group sizes, since these may be less competitive and more collaborative. Healthy games may also have shallow social hierarchies, without much inequality. For example, you might feel happier joining a supportive local running group than competing in a high-profile marathon that thousands of people enter every year.

(Shortform note: One way to select the right games might be to make sure you’re looking at them with the right perspective. In First Things First, Stephen...

Shortform Exercise: What’s Your Game?

Storr writes that we’re constantly engaged in status games and competing for status across many areas of our lives. Many factors determine which games we play, some of which can be harmful—but Storr believes that we can choose to play healthy games that enhance our well-being.

Think about the status games that you participate in: the social groups where you follow rules and adopt status symbols to compete for others’ respect (like the industry where you work, the social organizations you’ve joined, or the communities in which you’re a member). List them below.