People pursue status for many reasons, whether it’s a C-suite office, a $100,000 car, a house in a desirable neighborhood, or a conventionally attractive spouse. Sure, money and luxury items can bring us joy. But often, people buy expensive things or get caught up in grind culture just to impress others, and what they acquire leaves them feeling empty.
Keeping up appearances also costs a lot of money. While some people wince every month when they have to make a $1,500 car payment, others are happy with their old, paid-off car and invest the $1,500 instead of spending it on a depreciating asset.
If keeping up appearances takes so much work and resources, why do we do it? A 2026 review of over 955 studies found overwhelmingly that people chase status symbols because they care about how they are perceived, and that what we have, the roles we play, and how we behave signal our taste, prestige, and where we belong.
A Threads user named Itsamayawithwifi recently asked people over 40: “What’s a ‘status symbol’ you chased in your 20s and 30s that lost all meaning in your 40s?” The answers confirmed that, for many, the status symbols they once appreciated and chased have indeed become meaningless later in life. The discussion is a great way to consider whether pursuing status is really worth the time and effort.
10 status symbols that people over 40 have stopped chasing
Nice cars
“Nice cars. Once you realize that a Ford will go just as far as an Audi, you stop chasing it.”
“So many coworkers and acquaintances leased or bought expensive cars. Had that $300 to $800 per month gone to investments, they would be $250k to $650k richer 20 years later.”
These folks seem to be on to something because the research is firmly on their side. A study from the International Review of Economics found that luxury car owners aren’t significantly happier than those with a normal car. In fact, people with midrange cars often reported being happier than those who drove luxury cars.
Job title
“Any job title. Now, all I care about is earning a decent living, enjoying (as much as I can) what I do and the people I work or correspond with.”
“Same. I just want the money.”
Big house
“A large house (McMansion). Just a big expensive space that is more than you need and then you have to spend even more money to fill it up and take care of it.”
“A bigger house needs constant attention, plus all the yard. You need to mow or pay someone a zillion bucks to mow.”
Mike Coren, who writes for the Washington Post’s “Climate Coach” blog, found that the size of one’s house doesn’t directly affect their happiness. “It’s kind of the opposite of the American dream, which is the assumption that if we had a bigger house, we’d be happier, we’d have more freedom,” Coren told Marketplace. “In fact, for most people, it’s the opposite.” He adds that a phenomenon known as the “McMansion effect” posits that your happiness can be determined by how your house stacks up, size-wise, with the larger houses on the block.
“The Grind”
“Glamorizing ‘The Grind’ and corporate culture. Now I realize the real currency is time.”
“100% this. I used to hoard PTO. Now I take time to myself regularly because if I die, they’ll replace me and none of that PTO will mean anything to anyone.”
Expensive dinners
“Dinner out every weekend to fancy places. A sandwich in a quiet beach during sunset with correct people is so much better.”
“I got old enough now to think that it’s a personal status symbol to be able to fix a dinner for yourself you truly enjoy. My parents did a silver divorce when my mom turned 70, and neither one of them can make a dinner for one that they are happy with! Even if it’s PB and banana. They eat out and blow their budgets rather than fix something. I think a sunset beach picnic sounds amazing. I know exactly what I’d pack!”
Entertaining dishes
“Enough dishes to host a holiday party for family and friends. Just downsized all the excess dishes and we just put out paper if we have more than 8 people. Plastic forks and red solo cups, too. I’m not cluttering up my life with stuff I don’t use regularly.”
“I have a six-week rule. If it hasn’t been used in six weeks, get rid of it. It’s just more sh*t that I have to deal with.”
Expensive alcohol
“I was a serious high-end whiskey aficionado, and to this day I have about $10,000 worth of Scotch, Bourbon, and Japanese Whiskey that I may never drink. These days I have, like, maybe three drinks a month tops. And it’s only if I’m out to dinner and everyone else is drinking.”
Studies have shown that when people are given moderately priced wine and are told it’s expensive, they rate it more highly than if they were told its actual price. When people tasted the wines blind, their perceived differences disappeared.
Fame
“I’m an artist, and I have totally lost interest in fame in any conventional way. Hollywood feels sick to me now.”
Designer clothes
“Have a closet full and could care less now.”
“I just moved, and unpacking my closet made me a little sad. None of these items mean anything to me anymore except being a symbol of me being someone I’m just not. Slowly selling it all and I’ve recently discovered Birkenstocks at 45. If I can’t wear them, I don’t want to go.”
Being the boss
“Being in charge. Can do it, good at it, won’t do it no more.”
The discussion is a great reminder to ask ourselves who we are trying to impress in this world. Are we working hard for our own pleasure, or for the things in life that impress others? If these folks are right, the ultimate status move may be caring less about what other people think.
