Podcast Summary

Podcast: Something You Should Know

Host: Mike Carruthers
Episode: Why We All Crave Social Status & The Extraordinary Sense That Stops You From Falling
Date: September 11, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Mike Carruthers explores two core topics: the universal human craving for social status and the fascinating inner-ear system that keeps us balanced—the vestibular system. First, social status expert Toby Stewart breaks down why we chase status, how it operates across different contexts, what its rewards and costs really are, and why the status game is often inescapable. In the second half, Dr. Jeffrey Sharon demystifies the vestibular system, explaining its biology, the illusions with balance, and why its health is crucial to life and mobility.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Practical Everyday Intel: Stop Pre-Rinsing Dishes

• [03:15] Mike Carruthers recommends ending the habit of pre-rinsing dishes before loading the dishwasher, citing modern dishwashers' capability and water savings.
  • Quote: “Your dishes need to be dirty for the detergent in the dishwasher to do its job… Enzymes in Cascade detergent are designed to attach themselves to food particles.” ([03:35])
  • Consumer Reports notes pre-rinsing can waste 6,000 gallons of water per year.

2. Why We All Crave Social Status (with Toby Stewart)

Guest: Toby Stewart, Professor at UC Berkeley, author of The Extraordinary Effects of Social Status in a Winner Take Most World

The Nature of Status Seeking

• [06:10] Social status is universally pursued though expressed in different ways.
  • Quote: “Do we want more status? The general answer is yes… you want to be high up in the hierarchy. It’s a pretty obvious answer.” — Toby Stewart ([06:44])
  • Status isn’t just about material signs like cars or houses—it permeates every group or context.

The Burden of High Status

• Attaining status can lead to more pressure to maintain it.
  • Michelin-star Chef Example ([07:59]): Chefs work tirelessly to earn a star, but once earned, the annual reevaluation creates ongoing stress. Some even give back their stars to escape the pressure.
  • Quote: "I actually found there's a whole number of Michelin starred chefs that actually just voluntarily returned the star...because they didn't want the pressure." — Toby Stewart ([09:09])

How Status Transfers and Reciprocates

• Status is not depleted when shared (unlike money).
  • Harvard Example ([09:50]): Granting degrees doesn’t lower Harvard’s status because careful admissions create reciprocity.
  • Restaurants/Celebrities Example ([09:50]):
    • “The celebrity has status and gives it to the restaurant, but once a bunch of celebrities show up, the restaurant acquires status.” ([10:47])

The Contexts and Domains of Status

• [13:06] Not everyone cares about the same type of status. If you dismiss status in one domain, you likely value it in another.
  • Quote: “Everyone who doesn't care about status in one walk of life cares about it in another one.” — Toby Stewart ([13:14])
  • There are as many status hierarchies as there are social groups.

Status as a Relative and Contested Hierarchy

• New groups quickly sort into status-based hierarchies—even among strangers or children ([18:04]).
• People judge others for status-seeking behaviors they themselves might disdain—but still seek status elsewhere ([20:25]).
  • “We are anti-status in others.” — Toby Stewart ([20:54])

Status and Money

• Positive but imperfect correlation.
  • Some high-status jobs pay less than lower-status ones (doctors vs. finance).
  • Resources Flow to Status: “If a high status person and a low status person submitted literally exactly the same grant application, it would be more likely granted to the high status person.” ([22:21])

Status and Difficult-to-Evaluate Value (Art Example)

• Status fills the gap where evaluations are subjective—like art:
  • “When we have evaluative uncertainty…we tend to default to...evaluate the person or entity associated with the product.” ([23:27])

Is Status Satisfying?

• Mixed. Most pursue and enjoy benefits but realize the downsides after attaining it.
  • Quote: “It isn’t quite the land of milk and honey that they thought it would be… the grass often looks very green over there.” ([25:30])

Status as a Self-fulfilling Prophecy

• Early small advantages compound over time.
  • “If you get a little bit ahead in the status race…they start to evaluate your work through the lens of you’re a high status person and they start to provide more resources to you.” ([26:50])

Societal Implications

• Status systems challenge the idea of entirely meritocratic outcomes ([28:14]).
  • “There’s only one number one rank.” ([28:41])

3. The Vestibular System: The Hidden Sense that Keeps You Upright

Guest: Dr. Jeffrey Sharon, Director, Balance and Fall Center, UCSF, author of The Great Balancing Act

What Is the Vestibular System?

• [32:40] Essential for balance, located in the inner ear but little known.
  • “It’s a system that a lot of people don’t know about… we have a lot more [than five senses] and the vestibular system is a really important sense.” ([32:51])

How Does the Inner Ear Relate to Balance & Hearing?

• Both hearing and balance organs (cochlea and vestibular system) use hair cells sensitive to fluid movement ([33:59]).
  • “The hair cell is this remarkable cell that can sense fluid movements at a microscopic scale.” — Dr. Sharon ([34:11])
• Diseases can affect both (e.g., Meniere’s disease causes both hearing loss and vertigo) ([36:43]).

Common Vestibular Disorders

• Loose Crystals Disease (BPPV): Crystals in the ear become dislodged, causing dizziness ([37:48]).
• Vestibular Migraine: Another common disorder impacting balance.
• Quote: “When you look at them under a scanning microscope, there’s literally crystals there. And they’re designed to be heavy, so…they weigh on these hair cells and tell you where gravity is.” ([38:18])

The Brain, Illusions, and Motion Sickness

• Visual-vestibular disconnects lead to motion sickness (on rides, boats, etc.) ([39:39]).
  • “Your visual system is saying, ‘We are moving,’ and your vestibular system is saying, ‘I don’t sense any movement.’ That discordance…your brain doesn’t know what to do with it, so it makes you feel nauseated.” ([40:00])
• Adaptation is possible; example of whirling dervishes ([41:33]).

Mal de Debarquement

• In some, adaptation leaves a lasting illusion of movement after disembarking from a boat ([42:54]).

How Vestibular Senses Accelerations

• Senses only changes in acceleration, not steady movement ([44:13]).
  • Explains sensations stepping off escalators or elevators.

Aging and Fall Risk

• Vestibular dysfunction is a strong predictor of fall risk in the elderly.
  • “The vestibular system was one of the strongest predictors of fall risk.” ([45:37])

Can You "Train" Your Vestibular System?

• Vestibular physical therapy can strengthen reflexes and compensation ([46:24]).
• In development: vestibular implant for those who’ve lost the system ([47:15]).

Prevalence & Performance

• About 10% of people report dizziness or imbalance yearly ([48:04]).
• High performers (tightrope walkers, cheetahs) often have highly tuned vestibular systems ([48:30]).

Wide-Ranging Relevance

• Vestibular disorder straddles ENT and neurology.
  • Pilots, astronauts need to understand it; astronauts get disoriented in zero gravity as vestibular cues vanish ([49:50]).
  • “Half of them end up projectile vomiting on their first spaceflight just because their inner ear can’t understand a world without gravity.” ([50:10])

4. Quick Intel: Shoes and Home Hygiene

• Guest encourages making home a shoe-free zone to minimize toxins, allergens, bacteria, and pesticide dust ([51:47]).
  • “Up to 94% of all the junk on your shoes comes off with the first two steps into the house.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It becomes a kind of a lifelong pursuit to maintain the status that you’ve already acquired.” — Toby Stewart ([08:30])
• “Everyone who doesn’t care about status in one walk of life cares about it in another one.” — Toby Stewart ([13:14])
• “When we have evaluative uncertainty…but we don’t know how good it is, we tend to default to evaluating the person or the entity associated with the product.” — Toby Stewart ([23:27])
• “The balance system is…a really important sense that most people aren’t even aware of.” — Dr. Jeffrey Sharon ([32:51])
• "The hair cell...can sense fluid movements at a microscopic scale." — Dr. Jeffrey Sharon ([34:11])
• "People without a functional vestibular system do not get seasick." — Dr. Jeffrey Sharon ([43:24])
• “When you start looking at the importance of the vestibular system across different areas of life...it's a pretty important system.” — Dr. Jeffrey Sharon ([50:00])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:15] Daily intel: Dishwashing myth, water savings.
• [06:08] – [29:15] Social Status Deep Dive with Toby Stewart
  • [09:50] Harvard and Restaurant Example
  • [13:14] The universality of status-seeking
  • [18:04] Status as context-dependent
  • [22:56] Status and money/resource flow
  • [23:27] Status and evaluation uncertainty
  • [26:50] Self-fulfilling nature of status
• [32:40] – [51:40] Vestibular System with Dr. Jeffrey Sharon
  • [33:59] Hearing and balance—biological connection
  • [37:48] Loose crystals disease (BPPV)
  • [39:39] Motion sickness and illusions
  • [44:13] Sensation of acceleration
  • [45:37] Aging and fall risk
  • [46:24] Vestibular training and prosthetics
  • [48:04] Prevalence stats
  • [49:50] Relevance for pilots, astronauts
• [51:47] Shoes off at the door: home toxin reduction tip

Tone and Style

• Mike Carruthers maintains an easygoing, curious, and practical tone.
• Both guests offer clear explanations, analogies, and stories, making complex ideas relatable and actionable.

Summary

This rich episode blends everyday wisdom (don’t pre-rinse dishes, leave shoes at the door) with deep dives into why social status shapes every group we join, and how a largely unrecognized sensory system—the vestibular system—keeps us upright and oriented. Listeners come away with:

• A nuanced understanding that status-seeking is universal, context-dependent, and often a double-edged sword.
• A newfound appreciation for the role of the vestibular system in day-to-day activities and in health, from preventing falls to adapting after motion.
• Easy tips that make life just a bit better—informed by both science and lived experience.

For further reading, check out the links to the guest authors’ books in the show notes.