Diga-me o que consome e direi como tu és. Produtos culturais como indicativo de atratividade, status e dominância social

Abstract

Possession of products tends to drive the individual to acquire materials that are sometimes not necessary for survival. Purchasing premium products or services seems, in the short term, to bring benefits to physical, emotional and social well-being, however, in the long term, individuals can adapt to the satisfaction that these offers provide and enter a consumption cycle that does not has an end. To verify what drives individuals to make use of luxury products and the impact of consumption on mating value, level of social dominance and social status, two studies were carried out. The first study aimed to assess whether the perception of mating value and social dominance are modified by the consumption choices made by fictitious individuals. For this, 171 Brazilian participants (93 women) evaluated the mating value and level of social dominance of stimulus subjects of the opposite sex who purchased popular or luxury products. In the second study, it was verified whether the consumption of premium automobiles influences the self-perception of mating value, social status and the level of social dominance. For this, 409 participants with different consumption profiles (those who do not own a car, who own a non-premium car and who own a premium car) scored their mating value, social dominance orientation and subjective social status. All participants answered anonymous and individual questionnaires that were applied through the online platform Google Forms. The results indicate that fictitious subjects who owned luxury cars were considered more attractive and dominant in the evaluation of third parties. On the other hand, participants who own a Premium car have higher levels of mating value and social dominance, they also perceive these products as more exclusive. In general, the results suggest that premium/luxury consumption can influence the perception that people have of those who own these types of products, as well as the self-assessment of the mating value, social dominance and social status of those who own them. these products. The evaluation of consumption and its effects on the perception and selfperception of individuals allows us to test hypotheses and contribute to the development of current models of consumer decision-making, in addition to informing consumers about the direct and indirect consequences of their choices in the social environment.