Abstract
m a r io w a g n e r we all yearn to feel important, powerful and popular. The desire for social status is one of the most important factors driving human behavior—our rung on the social ladder can determine whom we marry and how long we live, among other things. Recent research suggests, however, that some of our attempts to boost our place in the social hierarchy can backfire: our actions may make us feel better temporarily, but they increase the chances we will be stuck with lower status in the long term. A feeling of powerlessness or lack of influence, recent studies suggest, may prompt us to pay more for products or services. It may even make us eat more. Doing so repeatedly could end up making us poorer or less attractive, diminishing our status instead of raising it. Knowing how and when status influences our decisions might help us break the vicious cycle.
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