Discussion

1.Our own social status influences the way our brains respond to others

Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure brain activity in a part of the brain's value system, a region of the brain known as the ventral striatum. They found that people of higher socioeconomic status show greater brain activity in response to other high-ranked individuals, while those with lower status have a greater response to other low-status individuals. A key idea: "humans, like all social animals, determine appropriate actions toward others based on an assessment of their social status." Article here

https://www.sciencecodex.com/our_own_status_affects_the_way_our_brains_respond_to_others

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2.Discuss this one: current events and status

An excellent piece from Tyler Cowen on the impact of shelter-in-place on status seeking. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-04-06/isolation-changes-everything-for-status-seekers

Are these observations correct? What do you think? 

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3.Baby names, status and taste

Between 1985 and 2010, baby names became a powerful vehicle for conveying status and taste: https://www.livescience.com/9027-baby-names-reveal-parents.html