The impact of visual exposure to a physically attractive other on self-presentation
Abstract
According to Roney (2003), when exposed to potential mates (young women), men show greater conformity to female mate preferences. This study conceptually replicates and extends this finding to show that women also respond to female physical attractiveness. When exposed to attractive women (potential rivals), women report higher levels of communion and lower levels of agency.
... According to evolutionary psychology, tens of thousands of years of survival and reproductive pressures have shaped human behavior, creating differences between men and women (Butori & Parguel, 2014;Trivers, 1972). When men and women seek oppositesex romantic partners, the characteristics they look for tend to differ: women attach more importance to men's resources, whereas men are more interested in women's fertility cues, such as attractiveness and youth (Trivers, 1972). ...
... provides insights that confirm previous results related to reproductive instincts (Butori & Parguel, 2014;Trivers, 1972). The latter suggests that women compare themselves more than men, specifically to unrealistic targets (Strahan et al., 2006). ...
Criticized for the idealized lives portrayed on social media (e.g., Instagram), a growing number of social media influencers are now embracing genuineness, showcasing unfiltered and less sophisticated pictures of themselves. The current research investigated this trend by examining how genuine (vs. nongenuine) visual self‐presentations by influencers affect their followers' purchase intention and, importantly, their well‐being. With an experiment (n = 171) and a quasi‐experiment with an ex‐post facto design (n = 154), we demonstrate that influencers' genuineness (vs. nongenuineness) not only benefits promoted brands but also followers' well‐being. Specifically, genuine (vs. nongenuine) influencers induce fewer upward comparisons, which, in turn, increases followers' self‐esteem, well‐being, and purchase intention. Investigating the role of gender, we show that, while males also tend to purchase more products when recommended by genuine (vs. nongenuine) male influencers, the mediating process through social comparison does not occur. Combining psychosocial and marketing perspectives, this study expands various streams of research on social media influencers and offers pragmatic contributions that reconcile managers, social media influencers, and public policymakers. More genuineness in pictures, using fewer filters and beauty artifices, provides benefits for all. Finally, we suggest future research directions as ways to further reconcile these two perspectives.
... (Buss, 1988, Schmitt & Buss, 1996Fisher, 2004;Bleske-Rechek & Buss, 2006). Os homens estão propensos a selecionar mulheres consideradas atraentes (Butori & Parguel, 2014), pois a atratividade física funciona como um sinal de juventude e fertilidade (Buss, 1989;Fisher et al., 2008). ...
... Entre os brasileiros, de acordo Lopes, G. S., Shackelford, T. K., Santos, W. S., Farias, M. G., e Segundo, D. S. (2016), os homens mais do que as mulheres, exibem recursos, e as mulheres mais que homens realçam a aparência como forma de retenção companheiro. Essa constatação fundamenta a base da competição intrasexual feminina que está firmada no desejo da mulher em se diferenciar das demais como forma de obter vantagem competitiva (Butori & Parguel, 2014). De acordo com D'Angelo (2004), os brasileiros atrelam o consumo de luxo a qualidade intrínseca, ao hedonismo, ao prazer, a aparência pessoal e a distinção. ...
Este estudo analisou a competição intrasexual feminina e o consumo de produtos de luxo de mulheres brasileiras. Parte-se do pressuposto que em um contexto de competição intrasexual feminina, as mulheres direcionam seus esforços ao melhoramento de sua atratividade para dissuadir as rivais e demostram ter preferência por produtos de luxo,
quando esse luxo serve como aparato de melhoria da sua aparência e de distinção. Baseado nisso, este estudo investigou como mulheres brasileiras se comportam em um cenário de competição intrasexual em relação ao consumo de produtos de luxo. A pesquisa está embasada na abordagem qualitativa e os dados foram coletados por meio de dois focus groups, com apoio de técnicas projetivas. Os resultados demostram que a competição intrasexual feminina afeta o consumo de produtos de luxo, ampliando o olhar relacionando a competição intrasexual feminina como uma nova função no consumo de produtos de luxo e nos relacionamentos. Os achados se mostram importantes fatores analíticos e estratégicos para os profissionais da área do marketing, no que tange a tomada de decisão do consumo do luxo. As contribuições do estudo se consolidam como precursoras de novas pesquisas, especialmente no Brasil.
... (Buss, 1988, Schmitt & Buss, 1996Fisher, 2004;Bleske-Rechek & Buss, 2006). Os homens estão propensos a selecionar mulheres consideradas atraentes (Butori & Parguel, 2014), pois a atratividade física funciona como um sinal de juventude e fertilidade (Buss, 1989;Fisher et al., 2008). ...
... Entre os brasileiros, de acordo Lopes, G. S., Shackelford, T. K., Santos, W. S., Farias, M. G., e Segundo, D. S. (2016), os homens mais do que as mulheres, exibem recursos, e as mulheres mais que homens realçam a aparência como forma de retenção companheiro. Essa constatação fundamenta a base da competição intrasexual feminina que está firmada no desejo da mulher em se diferenciar das demais como forma de obter vantagem competitiva (Butori & Parguel, 2014). De acordo com D'Angelo (2004), os brasileiros atrelam o consumo de luxo a qualidade intrínseca, ao hedonismo, ao prazer, a aparência pessoal e a distinção. ...
Este estudo analisou a competição intrasexual feminina e o consumo de produtos de luxo de mulheres brasileiras. Parte-se do pressuposto que em um contexto de competição intrasexual feminina, as mulheres direcionam seus esforços ao melhoramento de sua atratividade para dissuadir as rivais e demostram ter preferência por produtos de luxo, quando esse luxo serve como aparato de melhoria da sua aparência e de distinção. Baseado nisso, este estudo investigou como mulheres brasileiras se comportam em um cenário de competição intrasexual em relação ao consumo de produtos de luxo. A pesquisa está embasada na abordagem qualitativa e os dados foram coletados por meio de dois focus groups, com apoio de técnicas projetivas. Os resultados demostram que a competição intrasexual feminina afeta o consumo de produtos de luxo, ampliando o olhar relacionando a competição intrasexual feminina como uma nova função no consumo de produtos de luxo e nos relacionamentos. Os achados se mostram importantes fatores analíticos e estratégicos para os profissionais da área do marketing, no que tange a tomada de decisão do consumo do luxo. As contribuições do estudo se consolidam como precursoras de novas pesquisas, especialmente no Brasil.
... Finally, there have been three common experimental manipulations utilized to prime intrasexual competition. These include men's reactions to exposure to attractive women as mates (e.g., Roney, 2003) and women's reactions to exposure to attractive women as rivals (Butori & Parguel, 2014;Hill & Durante, 2011;Li et al., 2010;WIDMAN, FISHER, AND BURCH 2 Massar & Buunk, 2010), exposure to materials that imply a biased sex ratio in the local environment (e.g., Ackerman et al., 2016;Moss & Maner, 2016), and exposure to vignettes that imply there is a rival for a romantic partner (e.g., Fisher & Archibald, 2022). While each of these experimental manipulations has resulted in significant effects on the dependent variables (DVs) of interest and in directions consistent with theory, they did not utilize an independent manipulation check for intrasexual competition. ...
Researchers have studied intrasexual competition by priming competition using a variety of techniques including manipulated sex ratios and vignettes implying a competition either for resources critical for obtaining mates or directly for mates themselves. When priming intrasexual competition, changes in the dependent variable of interest are generally taken as evidence of intrasexual competition; few researchers have tried to independently assess intrasexual competition. The studies presented replicate and extend one such state measure of intrasexual competition using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-Short Form) with additional competition words. The first study used a vignette manipulation and the second used a sex ratio manipulation. Participants responded to the modified PANAS, the Intrasexual Competition Scale (ICS), and the Intrasexual Rivalry Scale (IRS). Results indicated that neither manipulation resulted in effects on the ICS or IRS. There were differences on the negative and competitive subscales of the modified PANAS, but only for the vignette manipulation; sex ratio did not result in effects on any of the subscales. These results suggest that different intrasexual competition primes may not be accessible by a single measure. One explanation may be that the vignettes specify a target while the unbalanced sex ratios do not, which could create a difference in the psychological distance to a target. Studies in nonhuman animals have shown that distance and time to reinforcement affect the types of responses and conditioned responses that the reinforcer can support (e.g., behavior systems, Timberlake & Lucas, 1989), which we apply to this work.
... This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. (Butori & Parguel, 2014;Hill & Durante, 2011;Li et al., 2010;Massar & Buunk, 2010), exposure to materials that imply a biased sex ratio in the local environment (e.g., Ackerman et al., 2016;Moss & Maner, 2016), and exposure to vignettes that imply competition either for mates or access to resources to acquire mates. Commonly these vignettes suggest there is a rival for the participant's romantic partner (e.g., M. L. Fisher & Archibald, 2022), however not all make this implication (e.g., Hennighausen et al., 2016). ...
Priming has become a common method for studying intrasexual competition, with various methods, such as vignettes and unbalanced sex ratios used in the literature. However, there have been few independent measures of the effectiveness of this priming, all of which rely on conscious responding. Here, we investigate the ability of one intrasexual competition prime, vignettes that imply an individual is attempting to infiltrate an ongoing relationship, to generate arousal. Participants read four vignettes while four psychophysical measurements of arousal were assessed, left and right pupil dilation, heart rate, and electrodermal activity. Results indicated that while reading the vignettes and reflecting on them, three of the measures, both right and left pupil dilation and heart rate, did in fact increase, indicating arousal. We argue that this arousal may be due to one of two underlying emotional states: jealousy related to intrasexual competition or anxiety associated with the anticipation of the competition itself.
... Finally, there have been three common experimental manipulations utilized to prime intrasexual competition. These include men's reactions to exposure to attractive individuals as mates (e.g., Roney, 2003) and women's reactions to exposure to attractive individuals as rivals (Butori & Parguel, 2014;Hill & Durante, 2011;Li et al., 2010;Massar & Buunk, 2010), exposure to materials that imply a biased sex ratio in the local environment (e.g., Ackerman et al., 2016;Moss & Maner, 2016), and exposure to vignettes that imply there is a rival for a romantic partner (e.g., Fisher & Archibald, 2019). While each of these experimental manipulations have resulted in signi cant effects on the dependent variables of interest to the authors and in directions consistent with theory, they did not utilize an independent manipulation check for intrasexual competition. ...
Purpose
Researchers have studied intrasexual competition by priming the competition using a variety of techniques, including manipulated sex ratios and vignettes implying a competition either for resources critical for obtaining mates or directly for mates. When priming intrasexual competition, changes in the dependent variable of interest are generally taken as prima facie evidence of intrasexual competition; few researchers have tried to independently assess intrasexual competition.
Methods
The studies presented here replicate and extend one such state measure of intrasexual competition using words taken from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) with additional competition words (PANAS-Short Form with an added competitive subscale). The first study used a vignette manipulation and the second used a sex ratio manipulation. Participants then responded to the modified PANAS, the Intrasexual Competition Scale (ICS) and the Intrasexual Rivalry Scale (IRS).
Results
Results indicated that neither manipulation resulted in differences on the ICS or IRS. There were differences on the negative and competitive subscales of the modified PANAS, but only for the vignettes manipulation; sex ratio did not result in effects on any of the subscales. These results suggest that different intrasexual competition primes may not be accessible by a single measure.
Conclusion
One explanation may be that the vignettes specify a target while the unbalanced sex ratios do not, which could create a difference in the psychological distance to a target. Studies in non-human animals have shown that distance and time to reinforcement affects the types of responses and conditioned responses that the reinforcer can support (e.g., behavior systems, Timberlake & Lucas, 1989), which we apply to this work.
... Past research supports the use of evolutionary psychology as a potential lens to explore social media behavior, suggesting that virtual imagery can trigger reactions to fulfill evolutionary functions. For example, research finds that online imagery of an attractive partner can prime mate attraction (Butori & Parguel, 2014;Roney, 2003) and, for females, online imagery of another attractive female result in mate-guarding behaviors and emotions (Borau & Bonnefon, 2019). In the context of social exclusion, research shows that online (Golubickis et al., 2018;Williams et al., 2000) and virtual reality (Bockler, Homke, & Sebanz, 2014;Kassner, Wesselmann, Law, & Williams, 2012) gaming with unknown individuals, as well as online dialogue (Hitlan, A. Zárate, Kelly & Catherine DeSoto, 2016, Su et al., 2019Williams et al., 2002) can result in enhanced perceptions of exclusion. ...
Social media interactions in the form of likes and comments have become a prevalent and expected form of feedback among consumers. However, as these forms of feedback represent social acceptance, content that fails to garner sufficient community reactions may have important implications for consumer behavior, a conjecture supported by an evolutionary psychology account. Three studies demonstrate that consumers use social media cues such as the number of likes that a post receives to shape their attitudes and intentions regarding the subject of that post, and this relationship is mediated by perceptions of social exclusion. Further, the presence of comments can help to attenuate the negative impact of too few likes on perceptions of social exclusion, enhancing consumers’ attitudes and intentions toward the subject of the post.
... Taken together, our findings add to a small but growing body of work suggesting that the luteal phase not only prepares women's bodies for a potential pregnancy, but also prepares them socially for a possible pregnancy by motivating them to nurture social alliances Maner & Miller, 2014). Furthermore, our work highlights the utility of examining consumer behavior through an evolutionary lens (Butori & Parguel, 2014;Griskevicius & Kenrick, 2013;Saad, 2013Saad, , 2017. ...
... Recent studies from an economic perspective have continued to study conspicuous consumption in emerging economies (Jaikumar & Sarin, 2015), social influence (Amaldoss & Jain, 2015) or market models for fashion products (Kuksov & Wang, 2013). Within studies from a social and socio-psychological perspective, the social construction of status and social class and its implications on consumers (Bellezza, Gino, & Keinan, 2014;Ivanic, 2015;Lee & Luster, 2015;O'Guinn, Tanner, & Maeng, 2015) as well as studies within the field of evolutionary psychology have retained its popularity (Butori & Parguel, 2014;Durante, Griskevicius, Cantú, & Simpson, 2014;Wang & Griskevicius, 2014). How status is constructed is undergoing a change reflected in the emergence of studies on inconspicuous consumption (Eckhardt, Belk, & Wilson, 2015). ...
This paper provides a systematic review of the current state of luxury research by mapping the research landscape to identify key research clusters, publications, and journals that have relevance to the luxury subject across disciplines. Thereby, it contributes to the literature by providing a state-of-the-field review of the broader luxury research field. Using the ISI Web of Knowledge Core collection, this study conducts a document co-citation analysis of 49,139 cited references from 1,315 publications that study luxury. The combination of bibliometric methods and a systematic review allows this study to overcome barriers of traditional literature reviews by integrating a large set of publications across various disciplines and leveraging the insights of the larger scientific community. It identifies ten major research clusters that characterize the different research streams and discusses their intellectual foundations. Moreover, this research develops a conceptual framework that can be a valuable guide for researchers and practitioners.
... Extend original findings into B to B context Butori and Parguel (2014) The impact of visual exposure to a physically attractive other on self-presentation Roney (2003), Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin ...
We contrast the philosophy guiding the Replication Corner at IJRM with replication efforts in psychology. Psychology has promoted "exact" or "direct" replications, reflecting an interest in statistical conclusion validity of the original findings. Implicitly, this philosophy treats non-replication as evidence that the original finding is not "real" - a conclusion that we believe is unwarranted. In contrast, we have encouraged "conceptual replications" (replicating at the construct level but with different operationalization) and "replications with extensions", reflecting our interest in providing evidence on the external validity and generalizability of published findings. In particular, our belief is that this replication philosophy allows for both replication and the creation of new knowledge. We express our views about why we believe our approach is more constructive, and describe lessons learned in the three years we have been involved in editing the IJRM Replication Corner. Of our thirty published conceptual replications, most found results replicating the original findings, sometimes identifying moderators.
Prior research has identified several factors that influence brand extension evaluations. Extending this research, the authors suggest that external, situational factors can have an important influence on brand extension evaluations. This research focuses on mating mind-sets (i.e., thinking about a mate), which consumers commonly experience. Specifically, the authors propose that mating mind-sets triggered by the external situation can influence brand extension evaluations, particularly for men. Mating mind-sets induce male consumers (but not female consumers) to engage in relational processing, increasing fit perceptions and evaluations for moderately dissimilar brand extensions. These differences are more likely to emerge when a short-term mating mind-set is primed (vs. a long-term mating mind-set). Furthermore, using prestige brands (vs. functional brands) reduces the gap between men and women. In addition, subbrand architecture (vs. direct brand architecture) boosts the evaluations of female consumers but decreases those of male consumers. The authors find that the effects of mating mind-sets on brand extension evaluation are driven by male consumers' need to express creativity.
Socially desirable responding (SDR) has been of long-standing interest to the field of marketing. Unfortunately, the construct has not always been well understood by marketing researchers. The authors provide a review of the SDR literature organized around three key issues the conceptualization and measurement of SDR; the nomological constellation of personality traits, values, sociodemographics, and cultural factors associated with SDR; and the vexing issue of substance versus style in SDR measures. The authors review the current "state of the literature," identify unresolved issues, and provide new empirical evidence to assess the generalizability of existing knowledge, which is disproportionately based on U.S. student samples, to a global context. The new evidence is derived from a large international data set involving 12,424 respondents in 26 countries on four continents.
Recent research shows that women experience nonconscious shifts across different phases of the monthly ovulatory cycle. For example, women at peak fertility (near ovulation) are attracted to different kinds of men and show increased desire to attend social gatherings. Building on the evolutionary logic behind such effects, we examined how, why, and when hormonal fluctuations associated with ovulation influenced women's product choices. In three experiments, we show that at peak fertility women nonconsciously choose products that enhance appearance (e.g., choosing sexy rather than more conservative clothing). This hormonally regulated effect appears to be driven by a desire to outdo attractive rival women. Consequently, minimizing the salience of attractive women who are potential rivals suppresses the ovulatory effect on product choice. This research provides some of the first evidence of how, why, and when consumer behavior is influenced by hormonal factors.
Summarizes experimental evidence from advertising and related disciplines on the effects of physically attractive communicators and models on opinion change, product evaluation, source perception, and recall. Evidence indicates that attractive communicators consistently are liked more, are perceived in more favorable terms, and have a more positive impact on the products with which they are associated as compared to unattractive communicators. Source attractiveness is also related positively to agreement, although the effects appear to be less consistent, especially when the communicator is female. A critical assessment of previous studies and specific directions for future research are presented. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Contemporary mate preferences can provide important clues to human reproductive history. Little is known about which characteristics people value in potential mates. Five predictions were made about sex differences in human mate preferences based on evolutionary conceptions of parental investment, sexual selection, human reproductive capacity, and sexual asymmetries regarding certainty of paternity versus maternity. The predictions centered on how each sex valued earning capacity, ambition— industriousness, youth, physical attractiveness, and chastity. Predictions were tested in data from 37 samples drawn from 33 countries located on six continents and five islands (total N = 10,047). For 27 countries, demographic data on actual age at marriage provided a validity check on questionnaire data. Females were found to value cues to resource acquisition in potential mates more highly than males. Characteristics signaling reproductive capacity were valued more by males than by females. These sex differences may reflect different evolutionary selection pressures on human males and females; they provide powerful cross-cultural evidence of current sex differences in reproductive strategies. Discussion focuses on proximate mechanisms underlying mate preferences, consequences for human intrasexual competition, and the limitations of this study.
Can we better understand modern consumer behavior by examining its links to our ancestral past? We consider the underlying motives for consumption and choice from an evolutionary perspective. We review evidence that deep-seated evolutionary motives continue to influence much modern behavior, albeit not always in obvious or conscious ways. These fundamental motives include: (1) evading physical harm, (2) avoiding disease, (3) making friends, (4) attaining status, (5) acquiring a mate, (6) keeping a mate, and (7) caring for family. We discuss how, why, and when these motives influence behavior, highlighting that many consumer choices ultimately function to help fulfill one or more of these evolutionary needs. An important implication of this framework is that a person's preferences, behaviors, and decision processes change in predictable ways depending on which fundamental motive is currently active. We discuss how consideration of evolutionary motives provides fertile ground for future consumer research, while also helping build bridges between consumer behavior, evolutionary biology, and other social sciences.
Past research shows that luxury products can function to boost self-esteem, express identity, and signal status. We propose that luxury products also have important signaling functions in relationships. Whereas men use conspicuous luxury products to attract mates, women use such products to deter female rivals. Drawing on both evolutionary and cultural perspectives, five experiments investigated how women's luxury products function as a signaling system directed at other women who pose threats to their romantic relationships. Findings showed that activating a motive to guard one's mate triggered women to seek and display lavish possessions. Additional studies revealed that women use pricey possessions to signal that their romantic partner is especially devoted to them. In turn, flaunting designer handbags and shoes was effective at deterring other women from poaching a relationship partner. This research identifies a novel function of conspicuous consumption, revealing that luxury products and brands play important roles in relationships.
Males of many animal taxa allocate resourceslargely to mate acquisition and defence, con-tributing little more than gametes to embryoproduction. In many insects, however, malestransfer large spermatophores or ejaculates tofemales during mating, and extragametic sub-stancesderivedfromthesepackagesareusedforsomaticmaintenanceandeggproductionbytherecipient females (e.g. Boggs 1981). Femalesreceiving multiple male contributions lay more(Ridley1988)andoftenlargereggs(Fox1993a)than do once-mated females, indicating largeeVectsofmale-derivednutrientsonfemalerepro-duction.Furthermore,largemalesproducelargerejaculates or spermatophores than small males(Fox et al. 1995), and females of some insectspreferentiallymatewithlargemales(ThornhillA but see Gwynne 1988). Here, weprovideevidencethatvariationamongmalesinbodysizehasadirecteVectonfemalereproductivesuccess(lifetimefecundityandeggsize)inaseedbeetle,