Why the hell are we so interested about how much other people make?
Preface
If you're not interested at all about how much other people make a year, good for you. I on the other hand, have been intrigued about this very much. I have spent quite some time talking about how much Japanese working class earn in general with my foreign friends several times in the past. Apparently looking at all these videoes with quite some views on Youtube, asking people about how much they make on the streets of Seoul and Tokyo, I am not alone here.
FOREIGN
- How much people make, we asked in Hapjeong(Seoul)
So, back to the original question. Why are we so interested about this question? Not too healthy one to be asking frequently, but at times a much needed question. Especially in Japan where there are LOTS of people who just never talk about this with their company. (Hey, others doing a similar job earns this much. Shouldn't you be paying me more?) This could lead to a big gap between your market value and your actual salary.
Simple answer
Simple answer would be, well human beings are social animal.
However I think there is much more to this and Jordan B Peterson's thoughts on how human brain works is a very convincing explanation.
10 minute video of him talking about the topic
Quick summary of JBP's explanation of hierarchy
- It is very important where you are in your hierarchical position with regards to other people in relationship to your mental health
- This concept matters a lot since you all have an ancient counter in your brain
- like lobsters, and most animals with complex nervous systems
- Your ancicent counter tracks your relative status position, and controls serotonin levels
- Serotonin is a neurotransmitter associated with various functions, including mood regulation, social behavior, and decision-making.
- in the wren-world(a type of bird) for example their status is defined by power
- ![[Pasted image 20240427172225.png]]
- This is how powerful wrens look like. CUTE!
Better answer, and finding proof in my personal experience
So, there is an ancient counter in our brain, that tracks our relative status position and controls the hormones accordingly! Wow. That is quite mind-blowing isn't it. Looking back on my personal life I have moments where I can relate to this.
In a Korean high-school(in many cases middle and elementry as well, sadly) your grade MATTERS. There, spelled it out with all capitals. (you will understand it more deeply if you go watch the netflix series 'Sky Castle') The higher rank you have after every regular exams(oh and there were many.. too many) your social status goes up in the school.
I used to live in a very competitive district when I was in middle school and the moment I moved to a much less competitive district, I suddenly became top 3 in class and top 10 in school at the exams from being 14th in class and top 100 in the whole school. Also, I have to be clear that my effort that went into studying did not change very much.
This led to a sudden change in status, and wow it definitely felt different. I was not getting my serotonine levels checked but I can vouch that I felt quite different. This empowered me to put in more effort to keep that high rank status which proved to be quite useful in the end.
What defines the 'status' changed as my personal life shifted. When I was in langugae school in China for a year, your fluency of the Chinese language had a lot to do with status.
While working in Amazon, the job level had a high co-relation regarding both power and money.
Now at a less competitive environment compared to Amazon, the job level and income seems to matter less, but it still does exist.
Looking back, I can see very clear that the status matters very much in relation to your environment. At School, grades mattered. At work, job levels and income mattered. As we are mostly living in a capitalized world, how much we make in comparison to your peers and friends can be tracked by your brain, hence we care.
So what can we do about it?
Besides making more moeny (Easier said than done)to tell our brain's tracker that we are doing well so control my hormones and make me happy, what can we do?
If you happen to earn a bit less in your social group and that kind of is leading to negative feelings maybe some of the below can help. Also, if you feel too good about where you are economically the following would also have some value in it.
Diversification of hierarchy portfolio
You like football? You can be a great player in a local team. You like league of legends? Maybe your LOL tier could be much better than others in your friend group. You are an avid reader? You can regularly review the books on good redas and have a name in the reader community.
Life is complex and we often are in many many different hierarchies other than the 'economic' one. Do find a few that you could be in the top 10-30%.
Even if you do earn a whole lot in your social circle, your self-worth shouldn’t be dominated by how much you make. Going all-in in just one aspect of life Can be devastating if you end up losing that.
In a recent conversation with a friend, he mentioned his daughter who had practiced KARATE all through her elementary and junior-high, and decided to go to a high school without KARATE team, asked him this. “Dad, what am I if I stop practicing Karate?” The answer is she is many other things at the same time. However in the coming years, she should invest herself in a handful of different areas and find other areas than Karate where she can find herself at a well performing position.
Changing your environment to a less competitive space
Maybe your social circle is too high-performing in a way?
Being in the bottom 10 percent is a very tough place to be. If you ever played sports where every one is so much better than you, it is not too much fun.
(Game, league of legends place players in 9 different tiers according to their level. You start meeting players from upper tiers only when you perform well on your current tier so that each game is balanced and fun)
There is a sweet spot where things are neither too easy nor too challenging. Placing yourself in a group where you are slightly above average will help you enjoy the process and also provide room for growth. Just as it helped me a lot when I moved to a less competitive district in high-school.
Finding what is engaging to you
Before that day, I thought I needed to be somebody in the world. That rhino told me to find something that is so engaging that it makes you forget yourself.
from Lion Tracker's Guide To Life_Book by Boyd Varty
I cannot say much of Rhinos like Boyd(That book is a masterpiece by the way! Highlt recommend it), but when I am engaged in something this social hierarchy concept does not bother me at all. My attention is fully on and other trivial matters just become trivial. It could be art, game, writing, reading what-so-ever but we human beings seem to be always in need for activities that is engaging to us.
Likely to be least helpful, but still worth mentioning
Apparently you need to make 30,000 USD to be in the top 1 percent of socio economic distribution worldwide.
You who can read this on your phone or on your laptops, tablets what so ever are most likely also in that 1 percent.
a moment of gratitude.
Good to remind our brain of this fact on a regular base.
Final thought
When we think about what we want, moeny often comes up. On the other hand when we think about what we yearn for, it is rarely money and most often values such as love, belonging, and freedom.
We are trapped in a body with a machine in our brain that is tracking our status, but we are not 100% dominated by it. There is room for us to trick and train the brain to focus on more healthier and more important things. However, it seems like it is not a weird thing if we do care a lot about how much other people earn. That is our brain's attempt to figure things out about our economic status. Let's not stay there watching youtube videos of people being asked of their income on the streets too long since either way if we feel good, or bad about where you are, there are more important things in life to focus on.
If the ancient counter in your brain that controls serotonin level is interesting to you,
(written by chat gpt)
In lobsters, serotonin levels correlate with their social status within their hierarchies. When a lobster wins a fight, its serotonin levels rise, leading to increased confidence and assertiveness. Conversely, when a lobster loses, its serotonin levels drop, resulting in decreased confidence and submissive behavior. This hierarchy affects their behavior, physiology, and even their brain chemistry.
In humans, the connection is more complex but still relevant. Social status, like in lobsters, plays a significant role in human societies. Studies have shown that higher social status correlates with increased serotonin levels in humans as well. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter associated with various functions, including mood regulation, social behavior, and decision-making.
When individuals experience success or attain higher social status, their serotonin levels tend to increase, leading to feelings of confidence, satisfaction, and well-being. Conversely, setbacks or lower social status can decrease serotonin levels, contributing to feelings of anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem.
This neurological mechanism is thought to influence human behavior in social contexts, such as interactions with peers, negotiation, and decision-making. However, it's essential to note that human behavior is significantly more complex than that of lobsters, and social status is influenced by numerous factors beyond serotonin levels, including culture, upbringing, and individual differences.
So, while the comparison to lobsters may simplify the concept, the underlying principle of serotonin's role in social status and its impact on behavior is a fascinating area of study in neuroscience and psychology.