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How does our social status affect our happiness? A new study reveals that not only does our own status within a group influence our well-being, but people also tend to feel happier when their peers have lower status.
The study, authored by Cameron Anderson of UC Berkeley and John Angus Hildreth of Cornell University, was published on September 18, 2024 in the journal PLOS One.
Status refers to the respect, admiration, and voluntary deference individuals receive from others.
Happiness, here defined as “subjective well-being,” encompasses how people evaluate their own lives, both emotionally and cognitively.
While previous studies had shown a correlation between higher status and increased happiness, it was unclear whether status directly caused this boost in well-being or if other factors were involved.
To explore this causal link, researchers conducted two experimental studies involving undergraduate students.
In the first study involved 226 participants from a West Coast university, 41% male and 59% female, with an average age of 21.
They were divided into small groups, and each participant was given false feedback about their own status and that of their teammates within the group.
Status was rated on a scale from 1 to 7, with higher numbers indicating higher status.
Some participants were told they had a high status score of 6 out of 7, while others were told they had a low status score of 4 out of 7.
Additionally, they were informed that their teammates had either a high median status of 6 or a low median status of 4.
After receiving this information, participants completed questionnaires measuring their subjective well-being, including assessments of positive and negative emotions and overall life satisfaction.
The results showed that participants who were told they had relatively higher status within the group reported significantly higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction compared to those who were told they had lower status.
Specifically, those with high status had an average well-being score that was about 10% higher than those with low status.
Participants also felt happier when their teammates had lower status.
This suggests a competitive element: people feel better when they rank higher relative to their peers.
For instance, participants who were told they had high status and that their teammates had low status reported the highest levels of happiness.
In contrast, those who believed they had low status while their teammates had high status reported the lowest levels of happiness.
Statistical analysis indicated that about 10% of the differences in well-being could be explained by participants’ own status, and about 7% by the status of others.
In the second study, involving 405 participants (66% female; average age 21 years), researchers investigated whether self-affirmation exercises could reduce the impact of status on happiness.
Self-affirmation involves reflecting on personal values, which has been shown in previous studies to enhance self-esteem and resilience.
Participants were again divided into groups and received the same type of status feedback as in the first study.
Before receiving this feedback, half of the participants engaged in a self-affirmation task where they wrote about values important to them.
The other half completed a control task, writing about values less significant to them.
Afterward, all participants completed the well-being assessments.
The self-affirmation exercise did not significantly alter the effects of status on subjective well-being.
Participants who believed they had higher status continued to report higher happiness levels, regardless of whether they had engaged in self-affirmation.
Similarly, participants felt happier when their teammates had lower status, even after the self-affirmation task.
An interesting exception emerged when participants believed both they and their teammates had high status.
In this scenario, those who had engaged in self-affirmation reported higher happiness than those who had not.
This suggests that self-affirmation might enhance well-being in groups where everyone is perceived as high-status.
But overall, self-affirmation did not mitigate the competitive impact of status differences.
These studies highlight the inherently competitive nature of social status and its strong influence on our well-being.
The fact that people feel happier not just when they are respected, but when they are more respected than others, has profound implications.
It may explain why social hierarchies are persistent and why achieving true equality within groups can be challenging.
Understanding that our happiness is influenced not only by our own status but also by how it compares to others can help us navigate social dynamics more effectively.
It raises important questions about how society might encourage environments where people find fulfillment without relying on being above others.
This research provides clear evidence that status has a direct causal effect on happiness.
Our desire for higher status appears to be competitive, affecting our well-being depending on how we stack up against those around us.
As we strive for healthier social environments, acknowledging the competitive nature of status and exploring new ways to foster well-being regardless of social standing becomes essential.
The findings suggest that interventions like self-affirmation may not be sufficient to mitigate the impact of status on happiness.
Future research might explore other approaches, such as promoting empathy and perspective-taking, to reduce the negative effects of status competition on well-being.