100 Books Like Snobbery

It’s hilarious and cringey at the same time to read this honest look at status anxiety. It’s hilarious to watch others seek status. As for yourself, you hopefully relieve your cringing because you see how status has obsessed people throughout history. 

The author says we seek the love of the world as well as the love of a partner. The quest can ruin an otherwise good life, so he offers solutions. I love his explanation of the original “Bohemians.” They were the hipsters of the 19th century! They created those impressionist paintings we love because they were aching for status.

The author is a famous British philosopher who inherited a fortune. He sees that money does not relieve status anxiety. But he misses the real reason: because we’ve inherited the brain of status-seeking animals (as explained in all of my books). 

Bourgeois Bohemians sneer at expensive cars, but they spend much more renovating their bathrooms. They are eager to make a statement against consumerism, but they are also eager to let you know how successful they are. I grew up around this thinking, so I love to hear the forbidden thoughts expressed publicly.

Brooks explains the inner conflict of bobos. They feel guilty about their success, so they call attention to their solidarity with the common man. They want to keep achieving, but don’t want to appear that way.

Brooks misses the deeper engine of this inner conflict: all mammals seek status in their herd or pack or troop because it promotes “reproductive success.” Natural selection built a brain that rewards you with serotonin when you raise your status.

This 1950s view of status-seeking is fun because it’s far away yet eerily familiar. The small details that reveal a person’s social class are explored. Your sex life and social life are scrutinized, along with religion, education, politics, and “the totem poles of job prestige.”

Packard wrote many popular sociology books in the 1950s. I loved his book The Human Side of Animals. It shows how animals compete for social dominance because it helps their genes survive. So why does the author blame society for status-seeking in this book? He knows the truth: all societies have status-seeking because we’re all mammals. I think this book has a bitter tone because the author is appealing to bitter readers. Fortunately, we have a choice about playing the game.

A thick science book on envy is just what we need to help us release this feeling. The author looks at “Man the Envier” in an anthropological way. He shows how diverse cultures have struggled to manage this natural impulse, even using “black magic.” That may sound crazy, but my Italian ancestors did this. They believed that suffering is caused by malocchio—the evil eye from a person who envies you.

I like this book because it shows how humans create envy inside themselves. You may not want to see inside yourself. It’s easier to dream that the perfect society that will relieve your envy. But you make yourself powerless when you do that because you can’t control society. You are better off building your power over your emotions, as my books explain.

This book offers a practical and holistic approach to managing anxiety. I love that this book has actionable coping strategies and mindfulness techniques designed to calm the mind and body. Seponara’s compassionate and accessible writing provides readers with tools to address anxiety in their daily lives.

Her emphasis on empirically grounded tools from cognitive behavioral therapy combined with self-care exercises and holistic healing resonates deeply with my own approach to mental health. Seponara’s personal anecdotes and professional insights make the book relatable and motivating.

This guide has been a valuable resource for my clients, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to take control of their anxiety and improve their overall well-being.

Reading this book was like a lightbulb going off!

There are many stages of grief that people observe (denial, anger, shock, etc.). But anxiety is a key component of grief as well. I’ve experienced anxiety in my life but had no idea it was connected to my grief.

Seeing and understanding this connection through Claire’s book is like attending counseling and is so important for anyone going through the grieving process.

I love this small book. Often with anxiety reading lengthy, complicated, medicalized books are overwhelming when anxiety is thumping us in the head. This book is accessible, and you don’t sit there and think, ‘Gawd, I’m only on page 12 and there are 436 other pages to go. How am I going to get through it?’ It’s a really good starting point when you’re not sure why you’re feeling anxious but need some foundation knowledge about what’s going on. The people that have written it know what they’re talking about, our experts in their field but it doesn’t feel preachy or patronizing. 

I loved Jay Glazer's book because it perfectly puts together how to defeat anxiety and depression through hard work, determination, and grit. 

I appreciated how he lays out his heartfelt story of trauma, survival, and triumph over adversity. Jay’s writing captured me at my core and touched my heart. It will move anyone who reads it to find hope and elicit change.

I really like how accessible this book is. A great mix of personal stories from the author who lives with anxiety and tools and techniques to try. It’s friendly and helpful and not full of jargon or complicated exercises that make you feel more exhausted. You can come back to the tips and tricks at different points and try them again if they haven’t worked the first time. You feel like the author understands what you’re experiencing and is here to help – like a wise Uncle might do when you’re struggling. 

I love Untangle because it does exactly what the title says! People suffering through panic attacks, agoraphobia, or other anxiety-related conditions are often completely confused by what’s happening in their bodies and mind. Josh and Dean did a tremendous job of providing a friendly, easy-to-understand explanation of the mechanisms that drive panic and anxiety. If you’re struggling with panic attacks or other anxiety problems and not sure why or what to do about it, this book is a great place to start learning!