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The Moat of Low Status

usefulfictions.substack.com · 1,782 words · saved by 12 readers

This post is an excerpt from my forthcoming book (and builds on a couple paragraphs in my original post on agency). I’ll be running a few excerpts here in the next couple months, in hopes of getting feedback on the kinds of content people are excited to see in the book (which is a signal about what to expand or scale back). Let me know what you think! Fear of being temporarily low in social status stops human beings from living richer lives to an unbelievable degree. It happens on the micro scale, when a dance party doesn’t get started because nobody wants to be the first person on the dance floor. It’s fascinating: When I see someone alone on a dance floor, letting loose, it’s clear that they’re not doing anything wrong. Even if they’re not dancing well, they’re doing a public service by inviting other people to join them. But most of us hesitate to be that person. It happens on the scale of decades, when somebody dreams of becoming a songwriter but doesn’t ever write a full song, bec

Learn to love the Moat of Low Status It hurts, but less than you think Cate Hall Jul 02, 2025 809 72 112 Share Illustration by Alexander Naughton This post is an excerpt from my forthcoming book (and builds on a couple paragraphs in my original post on agency). I’ll be running a few excerpts here in the next couple months, in hopes of getting feedback on the kinds of content people are excited to see in the book (which is a signal about what to expand or scale back). Let me know what you think! Fear of being temporarily low in social status stops human beings from living richer lives to an unb

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