Will an expensive sports car impress your date? Yes, according to a recent study which seems to prove that men use bling to attract mates in the same way a peacock uses his feathers.

It seems like a no-brainer that men with fast cars attract women who are interested in luxury. However it turns out things are not that simple.

The scientists studied how men and women respond to bling depending on whether they were interested in a fling or a long-term relationship.

What they found is that men who are interested in a date are more likely to spend on luxury and status goods, especially when sex is a possibility.

Credit cards
Even looking at a photo of an attractive woman or reading a romantic story led men to spend more on frivolous luxuries. For their part, women view men who purchase luxury goods as more attractive for a short-term relationship – but not over the longer term.

And they same holds true for men. If they’re interested in a serious relationship, they tend to keep their credit cards in their pockets.

Peacocks
The research concludes that buying and displaying bling is men’s way of saying “I’m a good candidate for a fling!” Just as peacocks have evolved to flaunt their pointless tails before potential mates, men might similarly woo with wasteful spending to charm potential mates.

Women take heart: if your date is cheap, maybe it’s because he’s thinking about the long term.

Photo: Flickr/pietro_C

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