Single-dose testosterone administration increases men's preference for status goods.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral endocrinology
• Consumer psychology
• Evolutionary psychology

Background:

• Social hierarchies are common in human societies, with individuals often signaling status through consumption of positional goods.
• Previous research suggests a link between the sex steroid hormone testosterone and hierarchical social interactions in both animals and humans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal influence of testosterone on men's preferences for positional goods.
• To explore how testosterone affects the desire for status brands versus high-quality or power-enhancing products.

Main Methods:

• A placebo-controlled experiment was conducted with 243 men.
• Participants' preferences for status brands and positional goods were measured after administering testosterone or a placebo.

Main Results:

• Testosterone administration significantly increased men's preference for status brands over equally perceived quality brands.
• Testosterone enhanced positive attitudes towards goods described as status-enhancing, but not those described as power-enhancing or high-quality.

Conclusions:

• This study provides novel causal evidence for the biological underpinnings of men's status-seeking behavior.
• The findings connect animal behavioral research on testosterone and hierarchy with modern consumer behavior studies.