Health | Testosterone would push men to consume more "prestigious"

Testosterone, the Male Sex Hormone, Would Increase Men's Tenderness for Brands and Prestigious Products, According to a Study Published Tuesday in Nature Communications

"We Demonstrate for the First Time That Testosterone Alters Testosterone directly to consumer preferences, "Gideon Nave of the Wharton School, an American business school in Philadelphia, co-authored the study, told AFP.

Researchers tested 243 men between the ages of 18 and 55. Half of them had previously received a dose of testosterone, others a placebo.

The participants were then faced with duets of products of equivalent quality but of different brands. "The prestige level of each brand was previously measured by an independent survey of a sample of over 600 men," says the researcher.

The researchers found that "men who had received doses of testosterone showed a greater preference for products badociated with a higher social rank (like a luxury brand), "according to a statement from the European Institute of Business Administration (Insead). But no penchant has been found for products badimilated to power.

For Gideon Nave, "possessing prestigious products is a strategy for signaling one's rank within human society". The researcher parallels the tail of the peabad or the antlers. "This effect (of testosterone, ed) is related to the behavior of animals, in which testosterone generally increases during the breeding season and promotes the sending of signals to potential partners or competitors," notes the researcher.

the team, further studies must be conducted before generalizing these initial results, cultural differences being able to modify behaviors.