The notion of “success” in a capitalist society is closely tied to navigating social and professional relationships for personal gain. Success is about not just achieving one’s goals but doing so in a way that maximizes social standing, influence, and respect. It focuses on using social dynamics and norms to benefit the individual, whether this means retaining dignity in uncomfortable situations, receiving better service, or projecting an image of authority. Success is equated to being able to read and manipulate social cues.

By addressing both empowerment and opportunism, How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships encapsulates “success” within an accessible narrative about contemporary desires and anxieties. Although How to Talk to Anyone doesn’t have a setting in the conventional sense, it does operate within the context of contemporary Western society and its hierarchies. This context emphasizes individual mastery over social codes, perpetuating an individualistic ideology—that personal success is tied to merit. This ideology fosters agency but sidelines innate and systemic factors surrounding race, gender, sexuality, class, and religion. For example, “glass ceilings”—implicit barriers to social advancement—target those marginalized by race and gender but in the book are posited as less critical than communication.