Why men with a high testosterone need branded products

Does the testosterone level affect the purchasing of men?

Some people do not pay attention to what brand the product was made from. Then there are also people who are extremely important, for example, that their clothing was made by a well-known manufacturer. Researchers are now investigating whether men's test sterol levels affect their buying habits. The experts found that men with elevated levels of testosterone have a greater preference for goods that society regards as status symbols.

Researchers at Caltech University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Western Ontario have found in their recent research that elevated testosterone levels in males cause them to purchase more products from well-known brands that represent something like status symbols. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "Nature Communications".

Why do men with high testosterone levels tend to buy expensive clothing, luxury cars, and other expensive goods? (Image: Minerva Studio / fotolia.com)

Buying behavior of men is influenced by testosterone

Some men can not seem to get enough luxury goods like expensive sports cars or designer jeans. Scientists now found out the reason for this buying behavior. This is testosterone. Testosterone has a measurable effect on the preference of a man for brands, which are considered status symbols, the experts say. For example, a man with a higher testosterone level is more likely to resort to a branded jeans compared to a man with a lower testosterone level.

What causes testosterone?

This makes perfect sense because one of the main functions of testosterone is to motivate the man to achieve a high status. Exactly how does the testosterone, that men try to protect their status achieved, explain the doctors. "In the animal kingdom, testosterone promotes aggression, but the aggression serves the status," says study author Professor Colin Camerer of the California Institute of Technology in a press release. Many human behaviors can also be observed in primates in the animal kingdom. People are replacing physical aggression with a kind of aggression in buying behavior.

Men want to show what they have achieved

Scientists looked for the biological origin of so-called conspicuous consumer behavior when it comes to purchasing luxury goods and social status services. Such a buying behavior is comparable to the magnificent tail feathers of a male peacock, explain the experts. If the male peacock would not have to find a mate, the peacock would certainly be better off without its tail jewelry. For example, it could be much easier to flee from predators and easier to find food. In biology, this is called costly signal transmission. A man would probably be better off if he did not spend 300,000 euros on a luxury car, but by buying this car, he shows people that he's rich enough to buy such a status symbol, scientists say.

Subjects received testosterone or placebo

The study included a total of 243 male volunteers aged 18 to 55 years randomly selected to receive one dose of T gel or placebo gel. This gel was then absorbed through the skin by the subjects. Then the participants were sent home and after four hours, they were asked to return to the lab, because at that time the testosterone levels in their blood were near the peak, the researchers say. On their return, they participated in various tasks to determine their preferences for different types of goods.

Testosterone changed the buying behavior

First, with the help of a slider, the participants were to scale on a scale of one to ten, one representing a lower social status brand but of otherwise equivalent quality, and ten representing a high social status brand, which brand they preferred how strong their preference was. The data collected by the researchers during this task showed that the men who received a dose of testosterone had a higher preference for the luxury brands than the men who took the placebo.

Status was more important than quality?

The second task was to separate the effect of testosterone on the desire for luxury goods from other potential effects, such as an increased desire for high-quality goods or goods that produced a sense of power, explain the researchers. This task showed the study participants a range of consumer goods advertisements such as a car, sunglasses or coffee maker. Participants randomly received one of three versions of an advertisement for each of these items, with each version of the advertisement highlighting either the quality, the luxury or the power of the item. After reviewing the ad, they were asked to rate their attitudes to this article on a scale of one to ten.

Testosterone dose led to preference for luxury goods

The results of this second exercise also showed that men who received a testosterone dose had a higher preference for luxury goods than men who received only placebo. However, there was no corresponding increase in preference for goods that were advertised as performing better or higher in quality, the authors of the study explain. In primates, male animals consume much time and energy to establish dominance among the other animals. People show a similar behavior, but our means of dominance are different. We show our dominance of worn clothing and our lifestyle, rather than using claws, fists and muscles like primates, explains Carter. (As)