How do you keep up with the Joneses? | Sarah Marsh

Proving your social prowess these days is not about ostentatious displays of wealth but green credentials, a report suggests. Tell us how you make friends and influence people

How do you keep up with the Joneses in the modern age - buy a flashy car? Show off your tan (from an exotic holiday, of course)?

If your answer is any of the above then you are probably a bit out of touch. That is, according to Ryan Murphy, author of a paper from the Adam Smith Institute titled The New Aristocrats. He claims that attempting to impress your neighbours with ostentatious displays of wealth is now out of fashion.