This. The value of social status could be easily tested by exchanging a high salary for significant ownership of the company. My bet is that people would be jus

This. The value of social status could be easily tested by exchanging a high salary for significant ownership of the company. My bet is that people would be just as happy. Someone here recently ranted a bit against the fact that bright minds work in finance on useless work instead of greater things. The one answer from such a worker was about the huge difference between management compensation and worker compensation in those other, "more important" fields. Not the absolute salary.