Scarcity of Women = Men Spending More

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, how about an article about the ways men compete for women? I found this interesting (and funny) post on Science Daily, which reports that the perception of a scarcity of women causes men to become impulsive, save less, and increase borrowing.

Wall-E Anniversary Photo Art Print by CharlenePrecious

This quote pretty much sums it all up. "What we see in other animals is that when females are scarce, males become more competitive. They compete more for access to mates," says Vladas Griskevicius, lead author of the study. "How do humans compete for access to mates? What you find across cultures is that men do it through money, through status and through products."

Children's Wall Art Print - London by sarahjanestudios

So in the study, researchers had participants read news articles that described their local population as either having more men or more women. Then they were asked how much money they'd save per month and how much they'd borrow using credit cards for immediate purchases. Those who believed there were less women in their locality had savings rates 42% lower than the other group. They also borrowed 84% more money per month compared to the other group.

Rainy Day Love by rosydesignsonline

In another study, participants were shown photos of groups with more women than men, groups with more men than women, or groups that were balanced. When given the choice of either taking $20 now or waiting a month to take $30, those who saw photos with less women than men were more likely to take the $20 immediately.

Conspicious Consumption Original Collage by dadadreams

Now, apparently whether there are more men or women in a population does not influence what women choose to do with their money, but it does change their expectations of men. When women read a news article that described there being more men than women, they expected men to spend more on dinner dates, gifts, and other items with which the men would use to court them.

Money Clip: Mo' Money, Mo' Problems by ManoyMetal

What does this all mean? I'm sure you're all forming your own conclusions. I bet advertisers are having a field day with this information, if they haven't figured it out already :) Read the original article here.

Kraft paper gift boxes by kumosgreetings