Posted on 07/18/2011 1:01:01 PM PDT by null and void
New research finds that men’s conspicuous spending is driven by the desire to have uncommitted romantic flings. And, gentlemen, women can see right through it. Study shows that flashy spending may work for the short term but not for marriage. 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 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. The research was performed by faculty at Rice University, the University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) and the University of Minnesota.
"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.
"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 men 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."
Other co-authors of the study are Kathleen Vohs, University of Minnesota; Douglas Kenrick, Arizona State University; and Joshua Tybur, University of New Mexico.
I’ll give you a 7 because of the fishing tackle. It would have been an 8 but its a Chevy and I am a big Hemi fan.
Yeah, we did have a full-size conversion van.
Could not park it at work - garage too short.
Milage sucked.
RWD - could not get up the driveway at the cabin. Oddly, no problem in the FWD minivan. Bit of a mountain, you know?
So, I am stuck with the damn humiliating thing. LOL.
Front wheel drives can be cool.
The crummy little Mazda 626 I used to have would go right through snow drifts like an ice breaker.
It’s amazing what a car can do when you don’t give a flip what happens to it...:))
Only superficial, shallow women.
That is exactly what I did for my wife....many children later I bought her a Carrera Convertible.....she deserves
I don’t blame women for looking for a provider
Given the class resentment here these days..no wonder freepathons crawl so
I sold my fancy truck when things got tight but she keeps her suv for kid hauling and drives Porsche when she wants...it’s automatic..and I do too sometimes
Do I look queer on my homepage like some jackasses claim about Porsche owners
That is exactly what I did for my wife....many children later I bought her a Carrera Convertible.....she deserves
I don’t blame women for looking for a provider
Given the class resentment here these days..no wonder freepathons crawl so
I sold my fancy truck when things got tight but she keeps her suv for kid hauling and drives Porsche when she wants...it’s automatic..and I do too sometimes
Do I look queer on my homepage like some jackasses claim about Porsche owners
If I throw my fishing tackle in the Chrysler 300C Hemi I sometimes drive.....(with my wife's permission), would that improve my 7 rating considerably?
I hear you roar baby!
Twenty years ago I drove a Porsche...
I have been married now for 20 years.
The Porsche stuck around until the 2nd of our children.
Jeeps are hot!
I also tow a fishing boat, more points? :)
You stop reading. I said “ and continue on from there.”
OMG, yes.
Even more if the tractor has a post hole digger or bucket attachments!
Too bad your moms Dart didn’t have the Wedge motor. You wouldn’t have minded driving that. Roger Penske’s Darts did ok at the Trans Am series races back in the “Beatles” era. Way before your time (sweetie) ;-)
I have been married for so much of my life it’s hard for me to relate to singledom. I honestly can’t remember what it’s like to be single, and I don’t want to ever join the dating scene. It sounds dismal. I’m not sure how I could have been so smart when I was so young either, since so many women seem so dumb (present company excluded of course).
I just talk to so many women and when they start telling me about all of their awful relationships I have to bite my tongue not to tell them exactly why they can’t find a good man. It’s almost always because they are looking in the wrong places at the wrong guys.
Nope, you don’t. I wonder why people think they can know all about someone by the vehicle they drive? I hate to tell what my husband drives because it will brand him here. But he drives it because at the moment we need a cheap commuter car and we aren’t stupid. And he’s not trying to attract a mate. Well....he better not be. ;)
Let 'em go. It's a litmus test.
It isn't the self-worshipping twirp she wants, he's just an access route to the money and power she thinks she sees.
Like I said, it's a litmus test.
Besides, odds are he'll trade her in before he trades in the car, anyway.
Not this chick. Got no time for pompous, arrogant jackasses. That’s why I left the GOP! Why would I want to DATE that?
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