Conspicuous consumption may have evolutionary roots, researchers say

Until now, it has been assumed that conspicuous consumption is irrational and the result of marketing and advertising. But new research led by Athabasca University’s Dr Jim Swaffield and Dr Jesus Sierra Jimenez from Vancouver Island University challenges these commonly held assumptions. Both universities are in Canada. 

“The desire to display or be seen with these products is triggered by an interaction between environmental conditions and one’s evolved biology,” says Swaffield, the study’s principal investigator. “When one is seen owning or using these products, a message or signal is sent to onlookers. These messages might signal that one has wealth, physical power, or social status.” 

Some products could also be used to intimidate others. This drive to use products as a means of communication is triggered by a gene-environment interaction, say the researchers. “Genetics is the gun, and the environment is the trigger,” Swaffield explains. 

Conspicuous consumption helped our ancestors survive  

The study explores how nature and nurture interact and affect the desire for ‘signalling products’ (products that signal a specific attribute to others about the user).  

Swaffield explains that the human brain has evolved to think in a way that favours survival and reproductive success. Through evolution, humans have developed the ability to unconsciously sense subtle changes in environmental conditions that signal the environment is becoming safer or harsher. 

These changes can unconsciously trigger the desire for products that promote survival, intimidate rivals, and attract a mate. 

For example, when the environment is perceived to be harsh and unsafe, the conspicuous display of products that create an image of toughness can provide a protective function. 

Likewise, beautifying and wealth-signalling products can make one more attractive to potential mates. Swaffield noted, however, that when the environment is perceived to be too harsh, the desire for conspicuous consumption shuts down because people do not want to be noticed. 

The effect of nature-nurture on product desire 

In their study, Swaffield and Sierra Jimenez explored whether different types of environmental stressors – such as social isolation, financial difficulties, and concerns for physical safety – have different effects on the desire for signalling products. Their study involved 629 men and women – split almost equally between the sexes – from across Canada. 

Swaffield explains that previous studies have correlated mild environmental harshness with increases in desire for signalling products.  

However, as shown in this study, as financial and physical safety conditions become acute, the desire for signalling products decreases. 

What is also interesting, he says, is that there was minimal change in the desire for signalling products when participants were exposed to safe social and harsh social environmental conditions. 

Shift needed in how we think about consumer behaviour 

Swaffield believes the findings show that a fundamental shift is needed in how we think about what drives consumer behaviour. It should also prompt us to ask if conspicuous consumption is an outcome of a nature-nurture interaction, rather than advertising efforts.  

Finally, policymakers should ask if product desire is an outcome of a nature-nurture interaction. This raises the question of whether advertising bans can be effective at curbing problematic consumer behaviours such as compulsive buying disorders and over consumption. 

You can find out more about the study, titled ‘Unconscious Drivers of Consumer Behaviour: An Examination of the Effect of Nature-Nurture Interactions on Product Desire’, here.