Will Storr: why are humans obsessed with status? - a podcast by RNZ

British author and journalist Will Storr says we've been competing for status for millions of years, before we were even human. His new book The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It argues that trying to achieve status is a fundamental force in our behaviour, and a key to understanding human social life. The more status we earn, the better our chances of survival and reproduction. Storr's theory is that everyone is playing a status game, sometimes multiple games - even if you aren't aware of it. Storr's previous books include Selfie: How the West Became Self-Obsessed and The Science of Storytelling. His journalism work has appeared in the Guardian, Sunday Times, New Yorker and New York Times.

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