A Psychologist Explains How Relatable The 'Billionaire Social Calendar' Really Is

This exclusive calendar reveals truths we all live by.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D. | May 13, 2025

Psychological research shows that the easier something is to picture, the closer it feels to us in time and emotion. Seven years ago, I co-authored a paper exploring this phenomenon, known as simulational fluency.

We found that when people could vividly and easily imagine an event, it felt psychologically "closer," even if it had happened ages ago.

So what happens when we apply this idea to the seemingly distant world of billionaires?

Though there are fewer than a thousand in the U.S., if you play along — if you imagine their calendars, their rituals, their decisions — their lives stop feeling impossibly remote and start feeling almost familiar.

Birds Of A Feather Flock Together

Let's take a step back from billionaires for a moment. Look around you. What are your closest relationships built around?

Analyzing college friendship networks, researchers discovered a surprising pattern: People were most likely to form close relationships when they either shared strong similarities — or stood out sharply from one another. Psychologists call this a quadratic effect.

It's especially intuitive in a college setting, where you're constantly exposed to a variety of people. Shared time, shared space — and either shared values or striking differences — create fertile ground for friendship.

It's also intuitive when you visualize the typical road to obscene riches. There is some evidence to suggest that people who become wealthy often have a somewhat ambiguous attitude toward culturally accepted ethics. In some ways, it wouldn't be wrong to say that those who have "perfected" the capitalism game tend to "get" each other in ways the general population wouldn't.

Among the super-wealthy, especially those at the center of constant media attention, this effect compounds. Shared success, mutual understanding and, at times, shared detachment from conventional norms pull them into orbit with each other. This, in turn, helps explain why the idea of a "billionaire social calendar" has taken hold in pop culture.

What Exactly Is A Billionaire Social Calendar?

The idea of a billionaire social calendar might sound exotic, but underneath, it's not that different from how many of us live.

If you're over a certain age, chances are you network at familiar places: conferences, alumni gatherings, industry events. These are places where you're likely to meet others like you. Billionaires do the same thing. The difference is scale.

Their circles are much smaller, the stakes much higher and the events far more exclusive. For the ultra-wealthy, sticking to the calendar and attending places like Davos, Cannes or the Monaco Yacht Show is a business expense.

Showing up reinforces relationships, signals influence and often lays the groundwork for future alliances. The pattern is real enough that some have painstakingly mapped it out. Across articles, you'll find references to this unofficial circuit: the predictable flow of where and when billionaires are likely to cross paths each year.

Is The Billionaire Social Calendar An Overgeneralization?

Well, yes, but that's obvious. Not every billionaire shows up at these events, and there's no secret handshake that binds them to a calendar once they hit a 10-figure net worth. In reality, you don't even have to be a billionaire to move through parts of this world. Being wealthy enough, and well connected enough, often does the trick.

Still, exclusivity runs deep. It's part of the story we sell ourselves, and it only gets more pronounced the higher we climb.

Take the Yellowstone Club in Montana, for example. It's a 15,000-acre private resort with its own ski mountain, a place where membership depends less on filling out a form and more on proving you belong. Joining means buying land, a condo or a house — with undeveloped plots starting around $10 million — plus passing background checks, securing high-powered references and paying hefty annual dues. And even if you clear all those hurdles, you're one of just 914 people allowed through the gates.

And inside the gates, privacy remains the norm. Many properties are purchased through Limited Liability Companies, meaning you might not know who your neighbors are unless you already move in the same social circles.

The billionaire social calendar works much the same way. It's not about formal invitations or official registries. It's about who gets to orbit — and who doesn't.

Ever enjoyed watching the ultra-wealthy stumble? Take the Schadenfreude Scale to see what that says about you.

A similar version of this article can also be found on Forbes.com, here.