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The effect of conspicuous consumption on men's testosterone levels

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  • Saad, Gad
  • Vongas, John G.

Abstract

Using evolutionary psychology as a theoretical framework, it is argued that conspicuous consumption serves as a means by which men communicate their social status to prospective mates. Accordingly, men's endocrinological responses, particularly their testosterone levels, are responsive to fluctuations in their status as triggered by acts of conspicuous consumption. Study 1 reports that men's testosterone levels increased and decreased partially (directionally), after driving an expensive sports car and an old family sedan, respectively. Additionally, the location of the drive, either a busy downtown area or a semi-deserted highway, partially moderated this response. Study 2 demonstrates that when men's social status was threatened by the wealth displays of a male confederate in the presence of a female moderator, their testosterone levels increased. This is suggestive of an evolved mechanism for responding to intra-sexual challenges. Collectively, these constitute the first set of studies to measure hormonal outcomes in consumer behavior.

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  • Saad, Gad & Vongas, John G., 2009. "The effect of conspicuous consumption on men's testosterone levels," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 110(2), pages 80-92, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:110:y:2009:i:2:p:80-92
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kerwin Kofi Charles & Erik Hurst & Nikolai Roussanov, 2009. "Conspicuous Consumption and Race," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 124(2), pages 425-467.
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    6. Gad Saad, 2006. "Applying evolutionary psychology in understanding the Darwinian roots of consumption phenomena," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2-3), pages 189-201.
    7. John Tooby & Leda Cosmides & Michael E. Price, 2006. "Cognitive adaptations for n-person exchange: the evolutionary roots of organizational behavior," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2-3), pages 103-129.
    8. Angela Fontes & Jessie Fan, 2006. "The Effects of Ethnic Identity on Household Budget Allocation to Status Conveying Goods," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 643-663, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Greene, Francis J. & Han, Liang & Martin, Sean & Zhang, Song & Wittert, Gary, 2014. "Testosterone is associated with self-employment among Australian men," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 13(C), pages 76-84.
    2. Saad, Gad & Sejean, Richard & Greengross, Gil & Cherkas, Lynn, 2020. "Are identical twins more similar in their decision making styles than their fraternal counterparts?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 638-643.
    3. Kauppinen-Räisänen, Hannele & Björk, Peter & Lönnström, Alexandra & Jauffret, Marie-Nathalie, 2018. "How consumers' need for uniqueness, self-monitoring, and social identity affect their choices when luxury brands visually shout versus whisper," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 72-81.
    4. Enav, Friedmann & Daphna, Brueller, 2018. "Is stereotypical gender targeting effective for increasing service choice?," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 35-44.
    5. Stenstrom, Eric P. & Saad, Gad & Hingston, Sean T., 2018. "Menstrual cycle effects on prosocial orientation, gift giving, and charitable giving," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 82-88.
    6. Schipper, Burkhard C., 2023. "Sex hormones and choice under risk," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    7. Borau, Sylvie & Bonnefon, Jean-François, 2020. "Gendered products act as the extended phenotype of human sexual dimorphism: They increase physical attractiveness and desirability," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 498-508.
    8. Saad, Gad, 2020. "The marketing of evolutionary psychology," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 485-491.
    9. Goldsmith, Ronald E. & Reinecke Flynn, Leisa & Clark, Ronald A., 2014. "The etiology of the frugal consumer," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 175-184.

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