While the solutions offered were less fascinating than the causes, this book offers an interesting brew of ideas regarding why we worry about what others think of us. I think what Alain de Botton is getting at here is that, while status anxiety is a natural product of several centuries of social, political, philosophical, and psychological evolution in the western world, by exposing oneself to novel ideas, great works of art, some history of political thought, a dose of religious teaching, and perhaps a walk on the wild side, one stands a better chance of rising above such pettiness and living a more healthy and satisfying life. To which I whole-heartedly agree.