#43: The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It: Interview with Will Storr

Book Talk Today with Aun Abdi

On Episode #43 of the Book Talk Today podcast we are joined by Will Storr.

Will is an award-winning writer and one of my personal favourites. He is the author of five acclaimed books, including 'The Heretics', 'Selfie' and 'The Science of Storytelling'. Today we will be discussing his new book, 'The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use it.'

We discussed:

📚 The elements of ‘The Status Game’.

📚 Why people join cults.

📚 Toxic morality and prestige games.

Will’s book is ‘The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It.’

Timestamps

[0:00] - Intro

[1:30] - What is ’The Status Game’?

[2:37] - Where is the relationship between status and storytelling?

[4:38] - Status and religion

[6:40] - The prestige games of virtue and success

[13:34] - Do co-operation and status go hand in hand?

[15:23] - The effects of toxic morality

[19:31] - Human Individual Metamorphosis

[26:46] - How cults derive their power (Aun’s audio cuts out)

[29:30] - Rewards and status games

[33:49] - Evil for the sake of being evil

[39:57] - Incels and status

[42:45] - Does social media enhance specific status games?

[46:42] - Brainwashing and identity

[52:35] - In defence of tyrants

[54:58] - Rewriting history

[56:21] - How do we play ‘The Status Game’

[1:01:23] - Outro