Testosterone Increases Men’s Desire for Status Goods

[Forever Sunshine]

   THE MALE SEX HORMONE testosterone increases a man's preference for goods perceived as having a more elite status over goods of similar quality, but seen as lower in status.

Researchers from INSEAD, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative, Ivey Business School, California Institute of Technology and ZRT Laboratories found that the consumption of luxury goods and experiences is driven, in part, by biological motives, a press release reported.

The study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications is the first to show that the male hormone testosterone plays a role in status-related consumer preferences and that its effect drives men's desires to achieve status rather than power or choose high quality products, according to the release.

Past research shows that people have a desire for luxury products that display their elevated status. This desire has its roots in biology because displaying higher social status brings benefits such as mating opportunities and access to resources and social influences. According to the release, people frequently show their rank in society through acquiring goods or experiences, especially luxurious ones.

The researchers wanted to explore if testosterone played a role in this behavior. They studied 243 men of similar age and socio-economic status. Half of the participants received a single dose of the hormone that mimicked an everyday spike in testosterone, such as winning a competition or being in the presence of an attractive mate, and the other half received a placebo treatment. All the men then participated in two tasks.

First, they had to choose between two brands that are perceived to have different social status associations, but are not different in quality. According to the release, Calvin Klein was seen to elevate its owner to a higher status and Levi's was not. On a scale of 1 to 10, the men were asked "Which brand do you prefer?" Those who received the testosterone shot showed more of a preference for the product related to status, showing a link between testosterone and rank-related consumer preferences.

For the second task, researchers wanted to test if testosterone had an effect on status and power. They used six different product categories, including coffee machines and luxury cars. The researchers described each category slightly different, using similar wording, but emphasizing the target product by describing it using words that conveyed its status or power benefits and superior quality.

www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2018-07-03/study-testosterone-increases-mens-desire-for-status-goods

[starlight07]

Greater the testosterone, greater the ego. Therefore the desire for status goods.