Department of Marketing, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249-0631, USA.
J Pers Soc Psychol. 2011 Apr;100(4):664-80. doi: 10.1037/a0021669.
Conspicuous consumption is a form of economic behavior in which self-presentational concerns override desires to obtain goods at bargain prices. Showy spending may be a social signal directed at potential mates. We investigated such signals by examining (a) which individuals send them, (b) which contexts trigger them, and (c) how observers interpret them. Three experiments demonstrated that conspicuous consumption is driven by men who are following a lower investment (vs. higher investment) mating strategy and is triggered specifically by short-term (vs. long-term) mating motives. A fourth experiment showed that observers interpret such signals accurately, with women perceiving men who conspicuously consume as being interested in short-term mating. Furthermore, conspicuous purchasing enhanced men's desirability as a short-term (but not as a long-term) mate. Overall, these findings suggest that flaunting status-linked goods to potential mates is not simply about displaying economic resources. Instead, conspicuous consumption appears to be part of a more precise signaling system focused on short-term mating. These findings contribute to an emerging literature on human life-history strategies.
炫耀性消费是一种经济行为形式，其中自我表现的关注超过了以优惠价格获得商品的欲望。炫耀性消费可能是一种针对潜在伴侣的社交信号。我们通过考察（a）哪些人发出这些信号，（b）哪些情境引发这些信号，以及（c）观察者如何解释这些信号，来研究这些信号。三项实验表明，炫耀性消费是由那些遵循低投资（相对于高投资）择偶策略的男性驱动的，并且是由短期（相对于长期）择偶动机引发的。第四个实验表明，观察者能够准确地解释这些信号，女性认为炫耀性消费的男性对短期择偶感兴趣。此外，炫耀性购买增强了男性作为短期（但不是长期）伴侣的吸引力。总的来说，这些发现表明，向潜在伴侣炫耀与地位相关的商品不仅仅是展示经济资源。相反，炫耀性消费似乎是一个更精确的信号系统的一部分，该系统专注于短期择偶。这些发现为人类生活史策略的新兴文献做出了贡献。
