How Influential People Map Their Social World

"What do social climbers and gossipmongers have in common? My mother would tell me that both are morally suspect. This moral umbrage is etched into lessons from fairy tales and scripture that we readily pass on to our children: Avoid the schemer and the whisperer. But stories are known to simplify reality. The truth is that that the most effective gossipers and social climbers possess a remarkable grasp of social structure, knowledge they use to cleverly navigate their social worlds."

"Our minds are sophisticated engines that mentally map our social landscapes. Who's close to whom? Who belongs to which group? Who's popular, and who's just one step away from power? Recent work from my laboratory has shown that our mind's representations of the social worldwhat are known as cognitive mapsshape many of our critical social skills. These maps are used to rise in influence, figure out when we choose to talk about others and build tighter bonds between those in our inner circle."

Moral lessons cast social climbers and gossipmongers as morally suspect, but effective individuals in those roles possess a remarkable grasp of social structure. The mind constructs cognitive maps of social landscapes that track who's close to whom, group memberships, popularity, and proximity to power. These internal maps guide social behavior: rising in influence, deciding when to talk about others, and strengthening inner-circle bonds. Mapping social architecture requires constant updating as relationships form and dissolve within large networks of hundreds of people and thousands of possible connections. Understanding the invisible architecture of one's social world contributes critically to social success.

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