Men seek luxury for testosterone | ELESPECTADOR.COM

A study published in "Nature Communications" notes that testosterone, the male bad hormone par excellence, increases men's preferences for branded products related to higher social status.

Research, conducted by Professor Hilke Plaslmann, of the School of Commerce INSEAD revealed that the consumption of goods which could be considered luxury is due, partly, for biological reasons.

To perform this work, we selected a sample of 243 men, and similar socio-economic contexts.

] Randomly, half received a small dose of testosterone similar to what your body could produce in everyday emotional situations – such as sporting events or seeing something an attractive – while the other party took a placebo

In a first test, men had to choose between two different brands that had products of similar quality but with a different social perception.

The study found that those who had received the dose of testosterone showed a greater preference for products badociated with higher social status.

Also, the second test, which had as its objective to prove the link between testosterone and the two main indicators of a high social status – state and power – showed only a relationship between this Hormone and status

According to the researchers, the results could be helpful in generating hypothetical new contexts in which men, because of the increase in testosterone, may be more predisposed to consuming products related to a higher social level.

Despite this, Gideon Nave, one of the teachers involved in this study cautioned against the need to take into account the fact that "cultural differences can play an important role in this type of behavior".

"These findings provide the first theoretical data on the biological basis of consumer preferences for higher status products, but research should be repeated in other population groups," warned the researcher. .