I must be doing it wrong.
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.
After the 1/4 mile, there’s nothing left but excuses.
:)
‘69 Charger.
‘71 ‘Cuda.
Two of my dream cars.
I was on a 2k road trip home a couple of weeks ago, and some person blew by me in one of those little wedge cares that is mostly engine.
It looked cool, and it sure was fast, out there in the night-time desert.
But the roof could not have been three feet from the road, and my first thought was getting in it would suck, traveling in it would be worse, and you would need a can opener to get out!
At least I can sleep in the back of the mini van, if I get tired.
And men who drive Vets.
The only ones you see behind the wheels of Porsches are metro sexuals and sports stars.
I had a Porsche.
It was a high maintenance PITA and the turbo was finicky.
I got rid of it.
The most fun car I ever personally had was a VW Scirroco.
What a blast to drive.
[still waiting on that ‘68 Hemi dream to materialize, though]
:D
You know the rules.
Post proof.
>:)
Q: What’s the difference between a Porsche and a bag of dead babies?
A: There’s only one @$$hole in a Porsche.
I must be doing it wrong.
“About the same time, I also talked to my wife about buying a convertible Miata MX-5. She told me, “OK, but I’m not getting in it with you.” I said, “If I had a convertible red Miata, I wouldn’t have any problem finding someone to get in it with me.” She didn’t respond, but I could see her feelings were hurt. Guess what, I didn’t get the Miata, either.”
I guess it’s a good thing I bought my Miata while I was still unmarried! My wife and I were dating at the time, though.
Still have both of ‘em.
Gee...I sure wish some generous soul would grant me the opportunity to see just how miserable, uncomfortable and inconvenient that little car really is...LOL
[did you know that car dealerships have a “list” of people they won’t let test drive?]
;D
“Does Driving a Porsche Make a Man More Desirable to Women?”
Not this woman. Quite the opposite. European weenie cars are a turnoff to me, no matter what the price. I like real All-American men in real men vehicles such as Jeeps, pick up trucks, etc.
*sigh*
Wet dream, fer sure.
Then what does this old jalopy say about me?
I had a guy in a bar ask me that one time about one of my Submariners. He said he had always wanted one. A friend of mine sat down next to us and he knew this guy. They were old friends and he told the other guy that it was indeed very real. We got a couple of strange looks as the fellow peeled off 57 $100 bills on the bar. He had just sold a car and had about $10K on him. Which was not something surprising in this particular bar.
He kept the watch on and while I was getting his name and address to send the docs and box to he looked at me and joked "how are you going to tell what time it is?" I just grinned and pulled a President out of my pocket. He said "wow" as I put it on. As my friend chuckled I looked at him and said "you are gonna need a lot more cash if you want this one".
Aw, you’ve seen me.
My pic’s on my FR page.
Bought my wife a 2005 Mustang GT Convertible, all trimmed out in leather in whatnot.
Actually, I bought it for me. But...she owns it, now. LOL. Funny how that worked out.
Ah, well, the first 20 years are the toughest, then you figure it out.
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