An examination of how we achieve social status by what we consume and how that affects the culture as a wholeContrary to belief, status signaling isn't just the provenance of the immature or insecure, but a fundamental human need to secure social standing. It drives our behavior, forms our tastes, sets what we buy, and ultimately, determines who we are. It's what's behind "cool," and what drives fashion, music, food, sports, slang, travel, hairstyles, and dog breeds-and even the outsized influence of unpopular things with the "right" audience. In Status and Culture, W. David Marx weaves together history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, philosophy, linguistics, semiotics, cultural theory, literary theory, art history, media studies, and neuroscience to reveal for the first time the inner workings of status. While there have been some explorations in the past about how status needs affect our individual behavior, Status and Culture seeks to go one step deeper and link the behavior of individuals to the formation of our broader culture, at the exact time that the Internet is changing human society in ways that only the concept of status can explain. Marx examines three fundamental questions: Why do individuals cluster around arbitrary behaviors and take deep meaning from them? How do distinct styles, conventions, and sensibilities emerge? Why do we change behaviors over time and why do some behaviors stick around?Status and Culture is a book that will appeal to business people, students, artists, and anyone who has ever wondered why things become popular or why they often feel pressured to go against their personal tastes. The reader will leave the book with an understanding of the general rules that can be applied to everyday life and feel empowered by better appreciating the effect of social influence on their choices.

INCREASINGLY RELEVANT SUBJECT: Status is a fundamental part of human life, and yet our collective knowledge about the mysteries of cultural change has never been laid out in a single book. In the age of social media influencers especially, status is an omnipresent topic. Status & Culture breaks down how it works, why things are cool, and how that influences society.NEW TAKE: This is the first book on status to link individual behavior to the formation of culture as a whole. It reveals the hidden rules behind how we organize ourselves in hierarchies, while helping us understand our own behavior.PREVIOUS BOOK: Marx's first book, Ametora, is a cult classic in the fashion world, and received extensive press coverage.INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH: Status & Culture synthesizes various fields, from psychology to semiotics to economics, but instead of simply reviewing or regurgitating the previous literature, it will take the wisdom of the great works and present it as practical, common sense, making the book promotable in many different markets.