Abstract

Seeking status is a fundamental human motive. Therefore, individuals with higher socioeconomic status (SES) generally report greater life satisfaction. A key factor contributing to this phenomenon includes increased accessibility to resources such as education, healthcare, and financial assets. Given that status serves as a means to expand opportunities and influence over essential resources for individual functioning and prosperity, it is presumed that this becomes particularly evident in environments with intense competition for resources. This study posited that the correlation between SES and life satisfaction would be more pronounced in individuals experiencing a heightened competitive environment, where the benefits of a higher status are accentuated. Two separate studies were conducted, confirming this hypothesis. Individuals perceiving their environment as more competitive evaluated their lives more positively when possessing higher SES. This phenomenon was consistent among participants in both South Korea (Study 1) and the United States (Study 2). By demonstrating that the psychological benefits of SES hinge on the perceived competitiveness of one’s environment, this study lends support to prior research on the functions of status.