Anointed: The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner-Take-Most World

在贏家通吃世界中，社會地位的影響比我們想像的大得多！

頂尖組織理論學家Toby Stuart帶我們深入探索人類最強大的無形力量——社會地位。這股力量影響著我們生活的方方面面：從我們信任誰、重視什麼，到哪些想法和創新能夠改變世界，以及誰將因其成功而獲得讚譽。

為什麼一幅真正的林布蘭畫作價值數億美元，而他最有才華的弟子的幾乎一模一樣的畫作卻只值其價格的一小部分？是什麼讓一家餐廳「炙手可熱」，一個社區「新興發展」，或一項技術成為「下一個大趨勢」？為什麼人們在例行的辦公會議中總是選擇相同的座位？誰最有可能在別人說話時插嘴打斷？為什麼知名律師賺得如此之多？為什麼健康差距如此明顯？當一個人在生活中稍有領先時，為什麼這個微小的優勢常常會滾雪球般地擴大？

所有這些問題的答案都是：社會地位！這種無形的階級制度影響著我們生活的各個方面，從我們的健康、人際關係和事業，到我們在社交和工作環境中的行為，再到我們形成的品味和偏好。如果沒有它，我們在面對哪怕是最簡單的決定時都會感到迷失和癱瘓。但它也帶來了巨大的代價：社會地位就像一個強大的放大器，將微小的初始優勢轉化為難以逾越的領先。不平等性是其核心固有的一部分。

透過來自商業、經濟、文學、藝術、時尚等領域引人入勝的案例，本書揭示了地位如何在社會中層層遞進，以一種往往與實力無關的方式製造贏家和輸家。同時，本書也展示了新興技術可以如何為我們提供一個更公平的未來。

A leading organizational theorist takes us deep into the realm of humanity’s most powerful invisible force—social status—and how it shapes everything from who we trust and what we value to which ideas and innovations change the world and who gets credit for their success.

Why does an authentic Rembrandt fetch hundreds of millions while a nearly identical painting by his most talented disciple goes for a tiny fraction of that price? What makes a restaurant “hot,” a neighborhood “up-and-coming,” or a technology “the next big thing”? Why do people often choose the same seats in recurrent office meetings? Who is most likely to interrupt someone else mid-sentence? Why do big name lawyers earn so much? Why are health disparities so pronounced? And why, when someone gets a bit ahead in life, does the small advantage so often compound?

The answer to all these questions is social status—invisible hierarchies that influence every aspect of our lives, from our health to our personal relationships and careers to how we behave in social and work settings to the tastes and preferences we form. Without it, we’d be lost and paralyzed when faced with even the simplest decisions. But it comes at a steep cost: status works as a powerful amplifier, turning small initial advantages into insurmountable leads. Inequality is baked into its core.

Through compelling examples from business, economics, literature, art, fashion, and beyond, Anointed demonstrates how status cascades through society, creating winners and losers in ways that often have little to do with merit. And how new technology offers a glimpse of a more equitable future.