Conspicuous leisure refers to those behaviors, pursued during nonwork time, that provide tangible evidence of status. The term was coined by Thorstein Veblen in his classic book, The Theory of the Leisure Class. Veblen argued that humans are hardwired to seek favorable comparisons with others, and conspicuous leisure is one way in which people display status. Conspicuous leisure was a hallmark of members of the leisure class who regarded work and toil as debasing. Examples of conspicuous leisure include knowledge of dead languages, music, manners, proprieties of dress, games and sports, and fancy-bred animals.