Humanities

The sex hormone, it turns out, is a major influencer of male consumer behaviour, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications.

“This is likely because testosterone plays a role in behaviours that relate to social rank (in animals), and owning status products is a strategy to signal one’s rank within human social hierarchies,” study co-author Gideon Nave of the University of Pennsylvania says.

Using consumer goods to show social status is nothing new, studies have previously established this fact, but the role of hormones was previously unknown.

Nave and a team recruited 243 men aged 18 to 55 for a trial. Some were given a dose of testosterone, applied to the skin in gel form, while others received a placebo or “dummy” dose.

They were then asked to choose between two products – of similar quality but one boasting a trademark considered high status – a judgement determined in a previous survey of over 600 men.

“We found that the men who received testosterone showed greater preference towards the high-status brands,” said Nave.

The effect, he added, “is akin to behaviour of non-human animals, where testosterone typically rises during the breeding season and promotes the display of traits that signal the organism’s fitness to potential competitors and mates,” he added.

But does this mean that women, in turn, have a higher preference for men with a Rolex on their arm or the keys to a Lamborghini?

“The use of brands to signal status does not necessarily have to ‘work’, it’s enough that the men believe that it works,” said Nave.

The team noted that the study had yet to be replicated and that the results would vary in different cultures.

Source: AFP Relaxnews