Context?
this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2025
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Are we hardwired to want social status?
Yes. Like many animals, we primates have a psychology of dominance. It helps to prevent constant daily fights over everything, so a group can function. You defer to the strong leader, or else. And you try to become the leader to get the benefits.
Unlike other primates, we have a second social status called "prestige" which is used for cultural learning. So you should upvote this post, like and subscribe, give me some virtual prestige. I may not be able to beat up your leader, but I can write eloquent posts such as this one, get more back from the hunt than others (see all those feathers and bones I'm wearing?), and everyone knows that I weave those useful baskets you use daily. Do what I do, and maybe you'll become just as capable and healthy as I am. Defer to me to get access to me, to watch and learn from me, to copy everything I do. Which books to read. Whom to to vote for. Eating one carrot a day. You never know which of those is the secret ingredient. Better just copy everything this healthy-looking human does and believes.
Good points.
Are you talking about social pressures like when your coworkers all have better cars than you?
Better in what way? Faster car? Newer car? More expensive car? More fuel mileage? I was thinking of maslow's heirarchy of needs the esteem and belonging needs.
Ah I think I understand now.
Yeah, I would agree that people are hardwired to feel pressure to fit in socially. There's a balance too, if you don't stand out at all your chances of fulfilling those needs could be harmed. But if you're too odd, you'll be shunned. The internet did wonders connecting odd ducks to each other.
Generally, most of the big live service multiplayer games are social status games which is wise and rewards for them are cosmetics that other players can see and not things that only you can see.
We are not hardwired for this because a lot of people like myself never engage with these games at all. And even if we do, we stay as free players the entire time.
I play games for their interactive story content or their novel mechanics not to show all the other players that I have a solid gold machine gun or whatever the fuck.
As long as you're confused about who you are as a person and what your role in this world is, I don't think you can avoid playing these silly games... what else do you have, right? If you can't feel like part of a larger whole with greater meaning, you might want to feel superior and special in all sorts of superficial ways (because if you were a deeper, wiser human being you wouldn't entertain this, you'd just do what you think you have to do in this world regardless of optics).
Even in communist countries there are different levels of citizens.
Add some examples of what you are referring. I think that I know what are you saying but I wanna be sure.
A person wanting to behave in a way to gain social status from peers.
Learned about this in anthro class. Its a perspective of social status.
The Big Man is typically the most influential individual in the community, gaining his position through a complex web of exchange relationships, and personal charisma, rather than inheritance or force.