Status also explains why innovativeness is found at the bottom of society as well. Outsiders, exiles, and misfits don’t worry about the social risks of trying new things, because they have little status to lose. The principle of cachet, however, means that low-status convention-breaking is viewed as “deviance” and may not inspire any immediate imitation. High-status convention-breaking, on the other hand, kicks off emulation and becomes understood as a noble act of innovation.
