When the pursuit of high status becomes destructive and how to deal with it

Angela Ahola, Doctor of Psychology, believes that one of the key human motives is the desire to raise status in society. For this, people strive for a higher position and try to get rich. But for Ahola, it is important not only to determine the origin of desires, but also to understand how you can influence them.

Her new book Hidden Motives. The True Reasons for Our Behavior”is published in Russian by the publishing house“Alpina Publisher”. Lifehacker publishes an excerpt from the second chapter.

We all dream from time to time. Perhaps about who they are in love with. Or about vacation, winning the lottery, upcoming party and other pleasant things. But there is one common theme in our dreams - and that is success. Fantasies that we have achieved something or achieved our goals are so enjoyable that sometimes we are ready to continue to indulge in dreams, instead of trying to get the same results in real life.

We dream of success, of a high position. It seems to us that certain professions have a higher status than others. Many people are ready to take on jobs that they don't particularly like, but that involve a rise in status. Or for not too prestigious, but well paid, which will allow you to buy expensive status items.

John Harsanyi, Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, believes that, aside from economic benefits, social status is probably the most important factor in human behavior. The more differences in status are inherent in a particular culture, the more its representatives are fixated on it. Research neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga argues that human thoughts largely revolve Gazzaniga, M. S. (2019). The consciousness instinct: unraveling the mystery of how the brain makes the mind. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. around his position immediately after awakening.

Does money bring happiness

You take out your phone, open social networks, and the first thing you see is a selfie of Andrea's classmate on a sunny beach. The neighbor also posted a photo, only a green smoothie, signing that she was heading to the gym.

On social media, we constantly see the successful and happy life of others. For many, social networks are a good opportunity to feel and receive confirmation that others like them, despite the sometimes one-sided and embellished image.

To understand this, Keltner asked the participants in the candy experiment to focus on their socio-economic success: some had to compare themselves with less wealthy people, others, on the contrary, with those who are in a better financial position. What was the result?

As a result, when people felt economically successful, they took more candy. That is, imagining themselves rich, they became more stingy.

Another difference between the rich and the less well-off is that the rich see stinginess as a positive quality, treat class differences in society as perfectly fair, and see their success as a personal achievement. This point of view allows them to easily assert: "If you are poor, then you yourself are to blame." This makes it easier for them to ignore other people's "not worthy of attention" problems.

We will probably never be able to determine whether stinginess and lust for status lead to wealth, or whether this wealth and status makes us more stingy.

When the pursuit of high status becomes destructive and how to deal with it

The book will help you understand yourself and regain control over what is happening. Dr. Ahola will teach you how to prioritize and assess your abilities realistically.