A biologically cultural view of the purchase and display of luxury products
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5585/remark.v22i2.16573Keywords:
Conspicuous consumption, Sexual selection, Extended phenotype, Ultimate causesAbstract
Objective: This article aims to discuss the adaptive function of consumption, emphasizing the male consumption of luxurious products.
Method: This is a narrative and critical review of the scientific literature.
Results: The evidence gathered suggests that men who boast luxurious products use the material means of available culture (e.g., luxurious cars in an industrialized society and hunting skills in a traditional society) to exaggerate and display attractive characteristics in the “love market”.
Relevance: This study expands the existing literature by discussing the evolutionary functions of consumption and the differences between distal and proximal causes of conspicuous consumption.
Contributions: This study integrates previous research results on men’s luxury product consumption, giving them a rationale from Evolutionary Psychology.
Downloads
References
Aspara, J., & Van Den Bergh, B. (2014). Naturally designed for masculinity vs. femininity? Prenatal testosterone predicts male consumers’ choices of gender-imaged products. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 31(1), 117–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2013.09.001
Atari, M., & Jamali, R. (2016). Dimensions of women’s mate preferences: Validation of a mate preference scale in Iran. Evolutionary Psychology, 14(2), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704916651443
Borau, S., & Bonnefon, J.-F. (2019). Gendered products act as the extended phenotype of human sexual dimorphism: They increase physical attractiveness and desirability. Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.03.007
Borgia, G. (1995). Complex male display and female choice in the spotted bowerbird: Specialized functions for different bower decorations. Animal Behaviour, 49, 1291–1301. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1995.0161
Bradshaw, H. K., Rodeheffer, C. D., & Hill, S. E. (2019). Scarcity, sex, and spending: Recession cues increase women’s desire for men owning luxury products and men’s desire to buy them. Journal of Business Research, 49(5), 1291–1301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.021
Buss, D. M. (1989). Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 12(01), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X00023992
Buss, D. M., & Schmitt, D. P. (2018). Mate preferences and their behavioral manifestations. Annual Review of Psychology, 70, 23–34. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-103408
Conley, B. A. (2020). Mayr and Tinbergen: Disentangling and integrating. Biology & Philosophy, 35(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-019-9731-x
Cronk, L. (1991). Wealth, status, and reproductive success among the Mukogodo of Kenya. American Anthropology, 93(2), 345–360. https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.1991.93.2.02a00040
Dunn, M J, & Searle, R. (2010). Effect of manipulated prestige-car ownership on both sex attractiveness ratings. British Journal of Psychology, 101(1), 69–80. https://doi.org/10.1348/000712609X417319
Dunn, Michael J, & Hill, A. (2014). Manipulated luxury-apartment ownership enhances opposite-sex attraction in females but not males. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 12(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1556/JEP.12.2014.1.1
Durante, K. M., & Griskevicius, V. (2018). Evolution and consumer psychology. Consumer Psychology Review, 1(1), 4–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/arcp.1001
Folstad, I., & Karter, A. J. (1992). Parasites, bright males, and the immunocompetence handicap. The American Naturalist, 139(3), 603–622.https://doi.org/10.1086/285346
Foo, Y Z, Simmons, L. W., & Rhodes, G. (2017). The relationship between health and mating success in humans. Royal Society Open Science, 4(1), 160603. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160603
Foo, Yong Zhi, Nakagawa, S., Rhodes, G., & Simmons, L. W. (2017). The effects of sex hormones on immune function: A meta‐analysis. Biological Reviews, 92(1), 551–571. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12243
Foo, Yong Zhi, Simmons, L. W., Perrett, D. I., Holt, P. G., Eastwood, P. R., & Rhodes, G. (2020). Immune function during early adolescence positively predicts adult facial sexual dimorphism in both men and women. Evolution and Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.02.002
Griskevicius, V., Tybur, J. M., Sundie, J. M., Cialdini, R. B., Miller, G. F., & Kenrick, D. T. (2007). Blatant benevolence and conspicuous consumption: When romantic motives elicit strategic costly signals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(1), 85–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.1.85
Haig, D. (2013). Proximate and ultimate causes: how come? and what for? Biology & Philosophy, 28(5), 781–786. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10539-013-9369-z
Hennighausen, C., & Schwab, F. (2014). Relationship status moderates men’s conspicuous consumption of smartphones. Letters on Evolutionary Behavioral Science, 5(2), 13–16. https://doi.org/10.5178/lebs.2014.30
Hogan, J. A. (2015). A framework for the study of behavior. Behavioural Processes, 117, 105–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2014.05.003
Hopcroft, R. L. (2006). Sex, status, and reproductive success in the contemporary United States. Evolution and Human Behavior, 27(2), 104–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2005.07.004
Hudders, L., De Backer, C., Fisher, M., & Vyncke, P. (2014). The rival wears Prada: Luxury consumption as a female competition strategy. Evolutionary Psychology, 12(3), 570–587. https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491401200306
Janssens, K., Pandelaere, M., Van den Bergh, B., Millet, K., Lens, I., & Roe, K. (2011). Can buy me love: Mate attraction goals lead to perceptual readiness for status products. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(1), 254–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2010.08.009
Kamble, S., Shackelford, T. K., Pham, M., & Buss, D. M. (2014). Indian mate preferences: Continuity, sex differences, and cultural change across a quarter of a century. Personality and Individual Differences, 70, 150–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2014.06.024
Kenrick, D. T., Griskevicius, V., Neuberg, S. L., & Schaller, M. (2010). Renovating the pyramid of needs: Contemporary extensions built upon ancient foundations. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(3), 292–314. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691610369469
Kruger, D J, & Kruger, J. S. (2016). Visually conspicuous vehicle modifications influence perceptions of male owner’s reproductive strategy and attractiveness. The Journal of the Evolutionary Studies Consortium, (Special Issue), 1–12.
Kruger, Daniel J. (2008). Male financial consumption is associated with higher mating intentions and mating success. Evolutionary Psychology, 6(4), 147470490800600420. https://doi.org/10.1177/147470490800600407
Lens, I., Driesmans, K., Pandelaere, M., & Janssens, K. (2012). Would male conspicuous consumption capture the female eye? Menstrual cycle effects on women’s attention to status products. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(1), 346–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.06.004
Lewis, D. M., Al-Shawaf, L., Conroy-Beam, D., Asao, K., & Buss, D. M. (2017). Evolutionary psychology: A how-to guide. American Psychologist, 72(4), 353–373. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040409
Luoto, S. (2019). An updated theoretical framework for human sexual selection: From ecology, genetics, and life history to extended phenotypes. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, 5(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-018-0103-6
Maner, J. K. (2017). Dominance and prestige: A tale of two hierarchies. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 26(6), 526–531. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417714323
Martins, G. D. F., Hauck Filho, N., Feeburg, N. L., Fernandes, H. B. F., Natividade, J. C., & Hutz, C. S. (2012). Psicologia evolucionista: Uma perspectiva em expansão. Temas Em Psicologia, 20(2), 509–520. https://doi.org/10.9788/TP2012.2-17
Mayr, E. (1961). Cause and effect in biology. Science, 134(3489), 1501–1506.
McAndrew, F. T. (2019). Costly Signaling Theory. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3483-1
Møller, A. P., & Petrie, M. (2002). Condition dependence, multiple sexual signals, and immunocompetence in peacocks. Behavioral Ecology, 13(2), 248–253. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/13.2.248
Nave, G., Nadler, A., Dubois, D., Zava, D., Camerer, C., & Plassmann, H. (2018). Single-dose testosterone administration increases men’s preference for status goods. Nature Communications, 9(1), 2433. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04923-0
Nelissen, R. M. a, & Meijers, M. H. C. (2011). Social benefits of luxury brands as costly signals of wealth and status. Evolution and Human Behavior, 32(5), 343–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.12.002
Nowak, J., Pawłowski, B., Borkowska, B., Augustyniak, D., & Drulis-Kawa, Z. (2018). No evidence for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis in male humans. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 1–11.
Pawlowski, B., & Jasienska, G. (2014). Women’s body morphology and preferences for sexual partners’ characteristics. Evolution and Human Behavior, 29(1), 19–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2007.07.003
Puts, D. A., Pope, L. E., Hill, A. K., Cárdenas, R. A., Welling, L. L., Wheatley, J. R., & Breedlove, S. M. (2015). Fulfilling desire: Evidence for negative feedback between men’s testosterone, sociosexual psychology, and sexual partner number. Hormones and Behavior, 70, 14–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.01.006
Roberts, M. L., Buchanan, K. L., & Evans, M. R. (2004). Testing the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis: A review of the evidence. Animal Behaviour, 68(2), 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.05.001
Schacht, R., & Kramer, K. L. (2019). Are we monogamous? A review of the evolution of pair-bonding in humans and its contemporary variation cross-culturally. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7, 230. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00230
Schaedelin, F. C., & Taborsky, M. (2009). Extended phenotypes as signals. Biological Reviews, 84(2), 293–313. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-185X.2008.00075.x
Schmidt, C., Schneider, F., Münch, R., Lange, B. P., & Hennighausen, C. (2017). Attractiveness and conspicuous consumption: What matters more in mating preferences? In Poster talk at the 67th annual conference of the International Communication Association, San Diego, USA.
Scott-Phillips, T. C., Dickins, T. E., & West, S. A. (2011). Evolutionary theory and the ultimate–proximate distinction in the human behavioral sciences. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(1), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691610393528
Shuler, G. A., & Mccord, D. M. (2010). Determinants of male attractiveness: “Hotness” ratings as a function of perceived resources. American Journal of Psychological Research, 6(1), 10–23. Retrieved from https://www.mcneese.edu/f/c/4797a2ba/AJPR 09-15 Shuler 12-30 rev.pdf
Souza, A. L., Conroy-Beam, D., & Buss, D. M. (2016). Mate preferences in Brazil: Evolved desires and cultural evolution over three decades. Personality and Individual Differences, 95, 45–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2016.01.053
Stern, J., Kordsmeyer, T. L., & Penke, L. (2021). A longitudinal evaluation of ovulatory cycle shifts in women’s mate attraction and preferences. Hormones and Behavior, 128, 104916. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2020.104916
Sundie, J. M., Kenrick, D. T., Griskevicius, V., Tybur, J. M., Vohs, K. D., & Beal, D. J. (2011). Peacocks, Porsches, and Thorstein Veblen: Conspicuous consumption as a sexual signaling system. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(4), 664–680. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021669
Thomas, A. G., Armstrong, S. L., Stewart-Williams, S., & Jones, B. C. (2021). Current fertility status does not predict sociosexual attitudes and desires in normally ovulating women. Evolutionary Psychology, 19(1), 1474704920976318. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704920976318
Tinbergen, N. (1963). On aims and methods of ethology. Zeitschrift Für Tierpsychologie, 20(4), 410–433. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1963.tb01161.x
Trivers, R. L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In Sexual selection and the descent of man (pp. 136–179). Chicago, IL: Aldine.
Vils, L., Strehlau, S., Mazzieri, M. R., & Maccari, E. A. (2017). Perspectivas da Psicologia Evolucionista em comportamento do consumidor. Revista Brasileira de Marketing, 16(4), 549–562. https://doi.org/10.5585/remark.v16i4.3776
Vincke, E. (2016). Female cigarette and alcohol consumption as a short-term mating strategy. Evolutionary Psychology, 14(4), 1474704916681300.
von Rueden, C., Gurven, M., & Kaplan, H. (2011). Why do men seek status? Fitness payoffs to dominance and prestige. Proceedings of The Royal Society B, 278, 2223–2232. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.2145
von Rueden, C. R., & Jaeggi, A. V. (2016). Men’s status and reproductive success in 33 nonindustrial societies: Effects of subsistence, marriage system, and reproductive strategy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(39), 10824–10829. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1606800113
Wilson, M. L., Miller, C. M., & Crouse, K. N. (2017). Humans as a model species for sexual selection research. Proceedings of The Royal Society B, 284(1866), 20171320. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.1320
Yuan, S., & Zheng, Y. (2019). Impacts of mate attraction goal on young women’s interests in conspicuous consumption. Journal of Contemporary Marketing Science, 2(1), 2516–7480. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCMARS-01-2019-0001
Zahavi, A., & Zahavi, A. (1997). The Handicap Principle: A Missing Piece of Darwin’s Puzzle. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=pt-BR&lr=&id=RmLnBwAAQBAJ&pgis=1
Zhao, T., Jin, X., Xu, W., Zuo, X., & Cui, H. (2017). Mating goals moderate power’s effect on conspicuous consumption among women. Evolutionary Psychology, 15(3), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704917723912
Zietsch, B. P., Sidari, M. J., Murphy, S. C., Sherlock, J. M., & Lee, A. J. (2020). For the good of evolutionary psychology, let’s reunite proximate and ultimate explanations. Evolution and Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2020.06.009
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Os autores
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.