Maybe you wish social status wasn’t a thing. But it is. Always was and, near as I can tell, always could be because humans are so wired for it.

Humans are wired to strive for status—and to have a keen eye for who does and doesn’t have it—because back in the day when the modern human brain was forming, status was a matter of life and death. 

Those with status had more access to survival resources, mates and, therefore, longer lives and bloodlines too. The ones with bad reputations were largely ostracized and left for dead. 

What’s really nice about the findings of this new University of Texas study, of  2,751 men and women in 14 countries, is that intelligence and honesty were universally associated with higher status. Meanwhile, characteristics such as mean, nasty, dishonest, dirty, and diseased pulled one’s status way down. Works for me. Intelligence and honesty two great big favorites of mine.

But the abstract on this study doesn’t get into whether the United States was part of this study. So I don’t know for sure whether this applies here. And I also don’t know if and how they controlled for any respondents saying what they thought sounded good (status seeking), rather than what they may have really thought that could have made them look bad. 

What I do know is that there are lots of status symbols that are not as noble sounding as the words honesty and intelligence. And, I also know that, for a lot of people, no matter how many symbols of status an individual may possess, status seeking can take on such a life of its own, that no matter how much one has it can feel like never good enough.

Good enough for what? Good enough so you matter enough to not be left behind to be eaten by a saber-toothe tiger? I can pretty much promise you that’s not going to happen, and that you are more likely to suffer serious consequences to your health and well-being by unconsciously worrying that it will. 

Especially now, when more and more people may be tightening their belts for an uncertain future, and even for those who are not, or maybe especially for those who are not—please remember that, even if it feels like life and death, it’s not. We are not on the Savannah anymore and will probably be fine. Hope this helps. Let us know.