Being famous. Knowing someone famous. Getting a laugh after telling a joke. Getting a good grade. Getting likes on a social media post. Winning a video game. Cooking a tasty meal. Being good looking. Having inside knowledge. Sharing a good recommendation.
We often think of status exclusively in terms of wealth, but it's actually at play everywhere, in every ... Show More
Jan 27
The Click Effect — Inside the Science and Magic of Social Chemistry
We’ve all had that feeling — you meet someone new, and the conversation just flows. You’re in sync. You click. But what’s really happening when that magic occurs?My guest today is journalist Kate Murphy, author of Why We Click: The Emerging Science of Interpersonal Synchrony, and ... Show More
54m 6s
Jan 20
How Football Took Over America — and Could Collapse
American football is so big — so braided into our weekends, our language, and our culture — that it can be hard to see it clearly as a whole.In his new book, Football, Chuck Klosterman helps us see the game from unexpected angles, and argues that football isn’t just a sport, it’s ... Show More
57m 40s
Jan 13
Money and Meaning — What Faith Traditions Teach Us About Personal Finance
We usually think of money as something very practical, concrete, and secular; we earn it, save it, spend it, and crunch the numbers behind it. But money is never just about money: it reflects our values, our priorities — and even our spiritual life.My guest today, Tom Levinson, k ... Show More
45m 20s
Sep 2023
268 - The Status Game - Will Storr (rebroadcast)
<p>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 extremi ... Show More
1h 16m
Jun 2019
How much of our behaviour is status-seeking?
In this episode, we discuss the concept of social status, and wonder to what extent the signalling of status contributes to our own behaviours. We talk about how our schoolboy days were defined by status games, and think about how we might work to minimise our psyche’s reliance o ... Show More
46m 6s
