A guy could do better with a 75 Vega with a bad head gasket than the ugly Panamera.
Posted on 06/16/2011 7:54:59 AM PDT by decimon
Study shows that flashy spending may work for the short term but not for marriage
New research by faculty at Rice University, the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) and the University of Minnesota finds that men's conspicuous spending is driven by the desire to have uncommitted romantic flings. And, gentlemen, women can see right through it.
The series of studies, "Peacocks, Porsches and Thorstein Veblen: Conspicuous Consumption as a Sexual Signaling System," was conducted with nearly 1,000 test subjects and published recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
"This research suggests that conspicuous products, such as Porsches, can serve the same function for some men that large and brilliant feathers serve for peacocks," said Jill Sundie, assistant professor of marketing at UTSA and lead author of the paper.
Just as peacocks flaunt their tails before potential mates, men may flaunt flashy products to charm potential dates. Notably, not all men favored this strategy – just those men who were interested in short-term sexual relationships with women.
"The studies show that some men are like peacocks. They're the ones driving the bright colored sports car," said co-author Vladas Griskevicius, assistant professor of marketing at the University of Minnesota.
According to the researchers, women found a man who chose to purchase a flashy luxury product (such as a Porsche) more desirable than the same man who purchased a non-luxury item (such as a Honda Civic). However, there was a catch: Although women found the flashy guys more desirable for a date, the man with the Porsche was not preferred as a marriage partner. Women inferred from a man's flashy spending that he was interested in uncommitted sex.
"When women considered him for a long-term relationship, owning the sports car held no advantage relative to owning an economy car," said co-author Daniel Beal, assistant professor of psychology at Rice. "People may feel that owning flashy things makes them more attractive as a relationship partner, but in truth, many men might be sending women the wrong message."
Though often associated with Western culture, extreme forms of conspicuous displays have been found in cultures across the globe and throughout history.
While finding that men may use conspicuous consumption as a short-term mating signal, the researchers discovered that women don't behave in the same manner and don't conspicuously spend to attract men.
"Obviously, women also spend plenty of money on expensive things," Sundie said. "But the anticipation of romance doesn't trigger flashy spending as it does with some men."
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Other co-authors of the study are Kathleen Vohs, University of Minnesota; Douglas Kenrick, Arizona State University; and Joshua Tybur, University of New Mexico.
To read the complete study, go to http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/100/4/664.html.
To set up an interview with one of the study's authors, contact David Ruth, director of national media relations at Rice, at druth@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.
Located on a 285-acre forested campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation's top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is known for its "unconventional wisdom." With 3,485 undergraduates and 2,275 graduate students, Rice's undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is less than 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice has been ranked No. 1 for best quality of life multiple times by the Princeton Review and No. 4 for "best value" among private universities by Kiplinger's Personal Finance. To read "What they're saying about Rice," go to http://futureowls.rice.edu/images/futureowls/Rice_Brag_Sheet.pdf.
And how much of my tax money was wasted on this crap?
Nonetheless...
2. Does a bear s**t in the woods?
Aw, crap! So that's what I've been doing wrong...
Cue the quotes from “Crazy People”
Just a FYI and to save us some tax payer money before they study this too...
A station wagon is to “family” to attract women.
I have to disagree. Sure, in a blue collar world it may be true, but in a demographic where every hot female has a little brother or a son driving a Porsche or equivalent, the opposite is true. In fact, in my neighborhood of MB’s and Porsches, I have gotten more female flirtations (and hookups) in my pickup truck than my 911 Convertible.
So a bunch of college professors came up with a study to figure out why they bought Porsches and still can’t get laid.
A guy could do better with a 75 Vega with a bad head gasket than the ugly Panamera.
I call BS. The difference between short and long term relationship is money plus a willingness to be her little circus monkey and put up with her crap. It's still about the money though. Money is for women what T&A is for men: it's the thing that keeps them hanging around, except for the few that have grown up and live in reality or are in it for thrills and excitement (i.e. bad boy/bad girl).
Woman have their own peacock feathers...called breast implants!
What’s the difference between a porcupine and a Porsche?
The porcupine has the “pricks” on the outside.....
Can’t take a fancy car onto a dance floor or into a nice restaurant. Now an American Express Platinum or Black card ...
No. Me driving a Porsche makes the Porsche more desirable to men and women. Same with anything else I drive.
Hehehehe
Whatever, but I don’t want a woman who likes me for my car, house, money, etc. She would be a very shallow person and a definite one-nighter.
Here’s the rocket science (can I get a grant?).
Women want a provider. Men driving a porsche makes them look like they are a successful provider.
Once they are married, women still want a provider and wasting money on a porsche works against that goal.
Again, this ain’t rocket science.....
Volvo: Boxy, but good.
A man needs a pickup truck, a wrench, and the ability to use them.
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