The importance of mate selection and women’s interest in historically male spaces may be an unconscious evolutionary impulse to evaluate potential mates more closely.
Status is a fundamental driver of human behavior, influencing stories, interactions, and social structures.
Status in Storytelling
Brian Boyd: Stories captivate us by tracking the protagonist’s status trajectory—the rise from low to high status.
The Hero’s Journey (Joseph Campbell):
Ordinary World → Call to Adventure → Challenges & Growth → Transformation & Return
Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots:
Many classic stories follow a protagonist rising from lowly circumstances to dazzling success.
The status shift is what holds our attention—we root for protagonists overcoming obstacles.
Sympathy & Audience Engagement
Virtuous Victim Effect: People perceive those who suffer as having stronger moral character.
Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat”: Audience sympathy is earned either by doing something good or by being mistreated.
Underdog Bias:
Studies show people naturally root for the underdog in neutral settings.
When real stakes are involved (e.g., financial bets), they prefer the dominant figure.
Parasocial Relationships: Viewers form bonds with fictional characters, which can mitigate loneliness.
The Psychology of Status
Sigmund Freud: Writers transform personal daydreams into compelling stories, subtly signaling power and desirability.
Creativity & Status:
Published poets and artists tend to have more romantic partners.
The drive for creative output likely evolved as a mating strategy.
The Evolution of Language & Status
Jean-Louis Dessalles: Language evolved as a way to signal intelligence and social value.
Robin Dunbar: Small talk functions as human grooming, building social bonds.
Public Speaking Anxiety:
Evolutionary basis: Speaking to large groups was a high-risk status move in ancestral environments.
Yerkes-Dodson Law: A moderate level of stress enhances performance, while too much stress hinders it.
The Three Status Games (Will Storr)
Dominance: Status through force, intimidation, and coercion.
Common in gangs, mafias, and military hierarchies.
Historically, societies executed dominant bullies, leading to self-domestication.
Virtue: Status through moral grandstanding and altruism.
Found in religion, activism, and media.
Moral Grandstanding: Public expressions of morality to gain status.
Victim Signaling: Some individuals exploit victimhood for status and material gain (correlates with Dark Triad traits).
Success: Status through competence and achievement.
Wealth, influence, knowledge, skill.
Most stable status game, associated with prestige.
Status Signaling & Countersignaling
Signaling: Demonstrating wealth, intelligence, or competence to gain status.
Countersignaling: High-status individuals can downplay status markers.
Example: A CEO riding a bicycle instead of driving a luxury car.
Findings:
PhD students at lower-ranked universities use more sophisticated dissertation titles.
High-status individuals use self-deprecating humor effectively.
Simple branding (e.g., high-end restaurants) can be a powerful countersignal.
Status Ambiguity & Conflict
Roger Gould: Status equivalency increases conflict.
Most homicides occur between individuals of similar status.
Primate behavior: Fights occur between equal-sized rivals, not between dominant and submissive individuals.
Ambiguous Hierarchies Cause Tension:
Hunter-gatherer societies are more violent than modern societies due to unclear status dynamics.
Association Value & Social Bonds
Who we choose as friends is determined by:
How much value they add to our lives.
How willing they are to invest in us.
Friendship shifts over time: Large status disparities can cause relationships to erode.
Conclusion
Status competition is an innate, universal human trait.
The games we play—dominance, virtue, and success—shape our personal and societal trajectories.
Understanding these dynamics helps navigate social interactions, personal ambitions, and cultural shifts.
