The concept of a "status symbol" is deeply embedded in human behavior. We often acquire certain items or strive for particular achievements to signal our standing, success, or desirability. However, ...

While status symbols have almost always been characterized in a game of "having what others can't," focused on material goods and consumerism, recent shifts in the collective experience and perception ...

This article follows the Direct Message methodology, designed to cut through the noise and reveal the deeper truths behind the stories we live. If someone drives a fancy car, we assume they’re ...

That original copy of 'The Wizard of Oz' might be something that most others would ignore. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. Smart people don’t behave the same way that average people do. They ...

Our culture embodies mutually exclusive beliefs in tribalism and individual exceptionalism. Tribalism used to depend on family; over the past millennium, it increasingly has come to depend on wealth ...

Add DMNews to your Google News feed. There’s a pretty significant gap between what Generation X considers status symbols and what younger generations find important. Gen X, born between 1965 and 1980, ...