When a superyacht enters a harbor, which of the yacht owners already there suffers the most?

In this line of study I explore how unfavorable social comparasions hurt us all... including those at the highest echelons. Through this we hope to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the universal experience of wanting to keep up with the Joneses...

Why are there so many formulaic stories of childhood exceptionalism in the bios of entrepreneurs? Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Elizabeth Holmes, just to name a few... How do these supernatural childhood stories play into creating a mystique and mythology around the founder?

Many academics have written books on quirky original rebel outsiders, promoting the idea that specific early experiences predict later exceptionalism. But is this true and does it encourage founders to deliberately craft exceptional childhood narratives to fit the stereotype of brilliance?

What's in a name?

When and why do we give weather phenomena names? What predicts when an unborn baby will be given a name? At what size do storms get names? Does a trend having a specific name make it seem more or less real or "a thing"?

Overall this line of research seeks to understand the psychological experience of giving and having a name for something. Does it appear more real or likely to occur? More understood? More controlled?

What happens when we try to signal status to others? What are the downsides of this? We look into the when and why of how peacocking behaviours might backfire... I paticuarly focus on the social costs incurred from our peers due to jealousy.

Do Non-native english speakers prefer to use jargon more than native speakers?

My research shows that they do. Why? And how does this relate Russians dressed like muppets in St. Moritz over the winters, or the super yacht arms race in St. Tropez over the summer? This line of research explores the science & psychology behind 'new money'.

How do we get conned into believing people are exceptional prodigies?

What are the specific caricatured displays that con-artists and 'experts' alike use to get audiences to believe them? How do these displays differ by groups and how can we avoid falling for them?