Whether it’s in his choice of top-shelf alcohol at the club, the watch on his wrist or the clothes he wears, a man under the influence of the male sex hormone is going to reach for the product that says to potential mates (and to competitors for those mates), “U can’t touch this.”
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Researchers from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania gave a supply of gel to 243 men, ages 18 to 55, and asked them to rub it all over their upper body. Some of the gels contained testosterone, others a placebo. Then the researchers asked the subjects to look at pictures and descriptions of five pairs of items — including watches, jeans and jackets — and judge which ones they preferred.
The pairings were carefully composed to present the men with a choice between products that varied on three dimensions: status, power and quality.
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For those subjects who got the dose of testosterone, status consistently won out over power and quality. But when these men were faced with a choice between powerful and high-quality goods, they showed no clear preferences. Meanwhile, men who got the placebo tended to choose the powerful and high-quality versions.
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Marketing professionals who pose attractive women on the hoods of expensive cars [have already recognized this.] But now they have scientific evidence to back up their surmises.
Read full, original post: Testosterone boost feeds US men’s hunger for luxury products, study indicates
