An unlikely pairing: testosterone fuels preference for luxury

The ‘nature versus nurture’ debate rarely, if ever, crosses paths with fashion. Despite the unlikelihood, a new study linking testosterone levels to a preference for luxury goods and social status may prove to be a credible pairing.

The science

If we look at consumption of luxury goods in modern society, we can agree they depict one’s social status. The findings by Springer Nature as published in Nature Communications builds on the knowledge on animal research and early correlational human studies linking the sex steroid hormone testosterone with hierarchical social interactions. The result? a correlation of testosterone on men’s preferences for positional goods.

The findings conclude testosterone increases positive attitudes toward positional goods when they are described as status-enhancing, however not when they are described as power-enhancing or high in quality.

The idea was first introduced by Thorstein Veblen’s work, The Theory of the Leisure Class, which describes how wasteful expenditures on positional goods, which display one’s apparent resources to others, shape the social strata over time. If this sounds abstract, these goods, in our case luxury brands, are useful measuring tools, because they separate the “haves” from the “have nots” through economic (e.g., high price) or physical (e.g., restricted access for private club members) barriers.

Why testosterone?

The male sex steroid hormone testosterone (T) is associated with a range of male reproductive and social behaviors in non-human and human species. In humans, T levels can situationally increase in contexts related to social rank and male reproductive behavior, e.g., during competitions and after winning them, in the presence of an attractive mate, and even following acts of conspicuous consumption, such as driving a luxury car (vs. a family sedan).

While it is common practise for the study to be conducted on males (especially animal behaviour) we note women, too, engage in conspicuous consumption. Perhaps a new study could take into account which brands and goods that are status-enhancing differ between the sexes.

For the full research findings go to https://osf.io/jqmnx

Photo: testosterone, WikiPedia; article source: Single-Dose Testosterone Administration Increases Men’s Preference for Status Goods.