Status Anxiety, by Alain De Botton

How come when we find out the staggering net worth of people like Bill Gates or Richard Branson, we hardly even flinch, while if our friends were to win the lottery, we would surely be filled with resentment?  How come one critical comment can send us into a frenzy of self-doubt, while one well-timed compliment can convince us that life is indeed worth living?  According to philosopher Alain De Botton, it is because we are creatures who are subject to obsessing about our status.  Though we may try to deny it, we are intensely concerned with what others think of us.  We wonder about how we measure up – financially, physically and socially.  We want to be normal, and successful.  Not only do we strive to keep up with any of the “Joneses” who may cross our paths, but we will try (consciously or not) to convince those people that we are worth liking and respecting; worth listening and paying attention to.  Plain and simple: we crave recognition. 

So, how can we deal with this innate sense of wanting to be acknowledged, in a world that is increasingly competitive and materialistic?  Read Status Anxiety – part history, part philosophy - for the answers. 

De Botton is an insightful and entertaining essayist.  He writes beautifully, in order to convince us that there can be an escape – indeed multiple escape routes – from our anxiety about status.  I loved reading this book, both for its thesis and for the colorful, illustrative prose that De Botton weaves. 

Check out this insightful, impressive, and unique little book today!

Catalogue

Interested in meeting new people and discussing what you've read?  Join our book clubs!  Register now!