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by ahalbert4·11d ago·view on hn ↗
A long time ago, I had to take an ethics class to get my Computer Science degree. One of the things that came up in the papers about calculating the statistical value of a life was that people care more about being more prosperous than their peers than absolute material wealth.

I think about that a lot: its not about material wealth, but status, something that if someone has more of you have less of. A lot of people are invested in their status in various communities, and are afraid to lose it or have it become meaningless.

I don't know what to do about that; no matter how wealthy we all are people are still going to want status.

1 comments
Well yes. That's why you see many westerners complaining about the cost of living even though all things told they have a good life.

I would modify this slightly though. I think there's an expectation of things getting better, and expecting to do better than your parents. I think that's where many of the modern issues around living standards come from. They aren't getting better (quickly enough).

look I enjoyed reading the status game too but it's really not rocket science that a fish will flounder when taken out of the water