Women Don't Perceive Men Who Display Their Wealth Conspicuously As Suitable Romantic Partners, According To Study

When a man throws his money on flashy cars, others intuitively interpret his behavior as a sign that he's more interested in short-term sexual relationships rather than in romantic commitment. That's what Daniel Kruger of the University of Michigan and Jessica Kruger at the University at Buffalo in America, found in a study published in Springer's journal Evolutionary Psychological Science.

In comparison to women, men have a greater tendency to display their wealth conspicuously. This is consistent with their stereotypical role as providers in patriarchy. It is also considered to be a way for them to show their intentions about a relationship. Across cultures, women's preferences for a particular partner at a certain time reflects the type of partnership they are considering. Physical qualities are more significant when a woman has a brief fling in mind. On the other hand, a man's wealth is more influential when a woman is deciding on a suitable life partner who will be able to provide for their children.

The study investigated how others interpret a man's display of his wealth. Two groups of undergraduate students had to complete anonymous online surveys. They first had to read through the descriptions of two different men who were buying cars. The participants then had to rate each character on dating and parenting behaviors, as well as his interest in relationships and his attractiveness to others. Both men spent the same budget on the car. However, the first made a frugal investment by buying a new car for the sake of reliability. On the contrary, the other opted for a used car and spent the remaining money on flashy purchases like new paint, larger wheels as well as an impressive sound system for the vehicle.

Both male and female participants rated the man with the flashy car as one who is more interested in brief sexual relationships. The same man 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. Also, the flashy man was more attractive to women for brief sexual encounters but didn't tick the boxes for a long-term committed romantic partner. In this case, the first man who made the frugal investment scored much higher. Overall, he received top marks as a potential long-term partner, parent, and provider.

"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," says Daniel 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," explains Jessica Kruger, who adds that the study increased researchers' understanding of how human psychology and behavior apply to technologically advanced and wealthy societies.

Reference: Medical Express