Playing 'The Status Game' with Will Storr

Issue 22: Interviewing Will Storr about his new book; visual lessons from 'The Power of Us'; the Spanish Inquisition catches us out again; and speaking at Habit Day this Friday

This week, we are excited to shared an interview with award-winning author and journalist Will Storr about his forthcoming book, ‘The Status Game: On Social Position and How We Use It. Will has written critically acclaimed novels (‘The Hunger and The Howling of Killian Lone’), fascinating social science books (‘Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing to Us’), and important investigative journalism.

In his new book (out on September 2), Will investigates how human beings’ “thirst for status drives innovation, art, civilization, war and genocide, and explains cults, moral panics, conspiracy theories, the rise of social media, and the ‘culture wars’”. Many of these themes align with our own book—which is why we think his book will be of considerable interest to you.

We have previously written about how the desire for status attracts people to certain kinds of identities—increasing the allure of élite colleges, for example, or the importance of being seen as a traveller r…