Your level of testosterone could explain your taste for luxury products

"If at 50, we do not have a Rolex, we missed his life." In 2009, this release of Jacques Séguéla had a stir. A study published on July 3 in Nature Communications may help us better understand the taste of this French advertising – and that of many other men – for luxury goods.

Beautiful cars, gold watches, logo shirts, shoes … what explains why certain representatives of the male bad are so attracted by the external signs of wealth ? This is the question raised by a team of American, French and British scientists

In response, 243 men were invited to a laboratory experiment. At first, they had a gel on their skin. For half of them, it contained a male hormone, testosterone. The rest of the time it was a placebo. The experiment was conducted at a time when the circulation of the hormone in the body was reaching its peak.

Outward Signs of Wealth

Each volunteer was positioned in front of several commercials, presenting more products. or less luxurious . Each time, the participants were asked to rate the goods on a scale of 1 to 10, asking a question: can this purchase improve my social position?

It appears from this first series of tests that men under the influence of testosterone are more likely to buy luxury brands than others.

"In the animal kingdom, testosterone promotes aggression explains in a statement Colin Camerer, professor of behavioral economics who participated in the research.Here, physical aggression is replaced by an equivalent consumerist. "

But one unknown remained: luxury can evoke power or social ascent. Scientists have therefore tried to find out which parameter attracted the most men exposed to a testosterone supplement.

Social status matters

For this, a second series of experiments was conducted. Participants again watched several advertisements. This time some insisted on the notion of power others on luxury while the latter extolled the qualities of the product. Once again, the interest of the good must be noted.

Again, volunteers under the influence of testosterone have a marked preference for luxury. It would not be the power but the social status that would interest the male …

"Males spend a lot of time and energy struggling to establish their dominion, and we do it, except that our weapons are what we carry what we drive and where we live", summarizes Colin Camerer

Scientists note that these results may not be valid in all communities. Cultures showing more disapproval of materialism may have a somewhat different attitude …