When a man throws money around on flashy cars, women intuitively interpret this behaviour as a sign that he is more interested in short-term sexual relationships than in romantic commitment, says new research.
Compared to women, men have a greater tendency to conspicuously display their wealth. This is consistent with their typical role as providers and is thought to be a way for them to advertise their intentions about a relationship. Across cultures, a woman’s preference for a certain partner at a specific time reflects the type of partnership she is considering. It was, for long, presumed that a man’s wealth was more influential when she was deciding on a suitable life partner who could provide for her children. But, looks like, relationships aren’t that simple anymore.
Published in Springer’s journal ‘Evolutionary Psychological Science’ the study had researchers at the University of Michigan and Jessica Kruger at the University at Buffalo in the US investigate how a man’s display of wealth is interpreted by others. Two groups of undergraduate students completed anonymous online surveys. They first read through the descriptions of two men who were buying cars. The participants then rated each character on dating and parenting behaviours, his interest in relationships, and his attractiveness to others. Both men spent the same budget. One man made a frugal investment by buying a new car for the sake of reliability. The other opted for a used car and proceeded to spend the remaining money on flashy purchases such as new paint, larger wheels and an impressive sound system for the vehicle.
Both male and female participants rated the man with the flashy car as being more interested in brief sexual relationships. He scored higher marks for the effort he made towards securing a mate but received low marks for how much he was willing to invest as a potential life partner. The flashy man was more attractive to women for brief sexual encounters, but did not tick the boxes for a long-term committed romantic partner for a relationship in which to raise families. In this case, the man who made the frugal car purchase scored much higher. Overall, he received top marks as a potential life partner, parent and provider.
Explains researcher Daniel Kruger, “Participants demonstrated an intuitive understanding that men investing in the display of goods featuring exaggerated sensory properties have reproductive strategies with higher mating effort and greater interest in short-term sexual relationships, as well as lower paternal investment and interest in long-term committed romantic relationships than men investing in practical considerations.” Adds Jessica Kruger, “This contrasts with the notion that men’s conspicuous resource displays are attractive to women because they reliably signal expected future resource investment in partners and especially in offspring.” Bring on the bling then, if you aren’t looking for commitment. If, on the other hand, you are, avoid elaborate gestures and stick to something elegant but muted that spells love, trust, respect and companionship for life.