From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Science of Storytelling, a bold and ambitious investigation of the hidden structure behind human behaviour: status What drives our political and moral beliefs? What makes us like some things and dislike others? What shapes how we behave, and misbehave, in groups? What makes you, you? For centuries, philosophers and scholars have described human behaviour in terms of sex, power and money. In The Status Game, bestselling author Will Storr radically turns this thinking on its head by arguing that it is our irrepressible craving for status that ultimately defines who we are. From the era of the hunter-gatherer to today, when we exist as workers in the globalised economy and citizens of online worlds, the need for status has always been wired into us. A wealth of research shows that how much of it we possess dramatically affects not only our happiness and wellbeing but also our physical health - and without sufficient status, we become more ill, and live shorter lives. It's an unconscious obsession that drives the best and worst of us: our innovation, arts and civilisation as well as our murders, wars and genocides. But why is status such an all-consuming prize? What happens if it's taken away from us? And how can our unquenchable thirst for it explain cults, moral panics, conspiracy theories, the rise of social media and the 'culture wars' of today? On a breathtaking journey through time and culture, The Status Game offers a sweeping rethink of human psychology that will change how you see others - and how you see yourself. Gold title SOS SUCCESS: The Status Game follows the tremendous success of Storr's first publication with William Collins, The Science of Storytelling (13k TCM, 30k all formats) which established his position as one of the UK's foremost cultural writers. YEARS IN THE MAKING: The Status Game builds on the years of research Will conducted for his bestselling book Selfie, and offers an accessible, multi-disciplinary deep-dive into psychology, economics, science and history.

UNIQUE IN THE MARKET: No other books offer status as a unifying theory of how human behaviour works. Competition: Status Anxiety, The Righteous Mind, The Age of Absurdity, 12 Rules for Life, The Weirdest People in the World, Wake Up. Alain de Botton, Jonathan Haidt, Michael Foley, Jordan Peterson, Joseph Henrich, Piers Morgan.