Status Anxiety: A Book Review by Alain De Botton. This is a non-fiction book written by Alain de Botton; it was originally released in 2021 by Hamish Hamilton. In Status Anxiety, De Botton claims that he "has discovered the secret to success - and it's not all about knowing what you are going to say, or being funny". Although the author is Canadian, Status Anxiety has received widespread attention from the press, and even Oprah Winfrey has given her stamp of approval to the book.
The premise of Status Anxiety is that one can use performance to indirectly create changes in relations. In Status Anxiety, de Botton maintains that if you can control your fears, inhibitions, and negative tendencies, you can instead, create the space for revealing how you truly feel. According to Status Anxiety, indirect effects of performance can be used as a lens through which to view and interpret status anxiety; thus, distilling its essence to its core components, identifying its source and treating it as just another hindrance in life. Thus, Status Anxiety can be defeated by uncovering its core components and treating it as such.
Botton maintains that there are three main factors of performance that can be used to infer status anxiety: your ability, your intentions, and the audience's interpretation of your intentions. For instance, while some people might take snobbery seriously, they would not actually base their opinions on snobbery. Similarly, while others may view meritocratic actions and behaviours as gauging status, they would not actually base this belief on meritocratic standards. And yet, the same three factors could actually be used to infer merit and status: what you do with what you have, who you are working with, and how influential you are. This way of thinking can be used to alter one's perception of others and even oneself.
In his article, the author writes that most people can readily assume that others will judge them based on merit. This is especially so if they themselves perceive others to be judging them. The flaw in this reasoning is that it assumes that others are capable of such reasoning. In fact, he notes, anyone can easily conclude that you deserve a better fate or worse based on your actions. Thus, this line of reasoning is problematic because, if you're genuinely good enough or more powerful than everyone else, then it doesn't follow that you would be able to get away with any misdeeds or actions that others might deem you to have committed.
Furthermore, he mentions the connection between meritocracy and anxiety. The more prestigious you are, the more anxiety you are likely to experience. In an article written about this anxiety, the author cited the social phenomenon of Status Anxiety, where individuals are most likely to express concern when placed in a similar situation but for a different reason perhaps because they don't know how other people will react. Thus, this anxiety makes them behave in ways that are contrary to their own best interests. According to the author, this can result to discrimination and injustice, thus furthering the deterioration of the meritocratic system.
The final part of the essay examines indirect effects of sexualization, focusing on the low self-esteem that women with low income inequality are likely to have. By comparing two women, one who is wealthy and the other with low income, the author finds that there is a significant difference in how the women perceive themselves. The wealthy one, she notes, believes that she is more sexually attractive, while the poor one believes her attractiveness is dependent on her relationship with men. In effect, she says that her relationship with the men does not influence her opinion of her attractiveness as much as her perception of the society's morality.
The author also draws a distinction between genuine goodness and excessive snobbery. While the former displays societal positive qualities (such as diligence, industriousness, hard work, etc), excessive snobbery makes people act in ways that are morally wrong. For example, the wealthy one might be interested in knowing what others think; the poor one might be interested in gossip, innuendo, or suggestive clothing. The author cites research showing that excessive social snobbery leads to less social trust, higher conflict, lower trust, and greater political instability.
Finally, the author writes about Status Anxiety, a relatively common phenomenon that has a variety of causal factors. One of these causes is sexualization, which she rightly points out is a negative trend. As we all know, many young girls grow up feeling that they need to look sexy just to fit in. However, the sexualization of a person can be so overstated that it becomes status anxiety, instead of a positive motivation.
