Blame it on testosterone
Scientists: Sex hormone pushes men towards high-end brands
PARIS: A single dose of testosterone steers men towards luxury brands of cars, watches, pens or clothes which, like stag anglers and peacock tails, signal “status” to the female gender, scientists said.
The sex hormone, it turns out, is a major influencer of male consumer behaviour, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications on Tuesday.
“This is likely because testosterone plays a role in behaviours which relate to social rank (in animals).
“Owning status products is a strategy to signal one’s rank within human social hierarchies,” study coauthor Gideon Nave of the University of Pennsylvania said.
Studies have already established that humans use consumer goods to exhibit social status. But the role of hormones was unknown.
Nave and a team recruited 243 men aged between 18 and 55 for a trial.
Some were given a dose of testosterone, applied to the skin in gel form, while others received a place bo or “dummy” dose.
They were then asked to choose between two products of similar quality but one boasting a trademark considered high status – a judgment determined in a previous survey of over 600 men.
“We found that the men who received testosterone showed greater preference for the highstatus brands,” said Nave.
The effect, he added, “is akin to behaviour of nonhuman animals, where testosterone typically rises during the breeding season and promotes the display of traits that signal the organism’s fitness to potential competitors and mates”.
Do the findings imply that women have a preference for men who drive a Ferrari or wear a Rolex?
“The use of brands to signal status does not necessarily have to ‘work’.
“It’s enough that the men believe that it works,” said Nave.
The team also noted that the products associated with status would differ between cultures. — AFP