Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
2011
Abstract
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.
Keywords
Women consumers, Ovulation, Hormones, Consumer behavior, Competition (Psychology)
Discipline
Applied Behavior Analysis | Organizational Behavior and Theory | Sales and Merchandising
Research Areas
Psychology
Areas of Excellence
Analytics for Business, Consumer and Social Insights
Publication
Journal of Consumer Research
Volume
37
Issue
6
First Page
921
Last Page
934
ISSN
0093-5301
Identifier
10.1086/656575
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Citation
DURANTE, Kristina M., GRISKEVICIUS, Vladas, HILL, Sarah E., PERILLOUX, Carin, & LI, Norman P..(2011). Ovulation, Female Competition, and Product Choice: Hormonal Influences on Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(6), 921-934.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1124
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1086/656575
Included in
Applied Behavior Analysis Commons, Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons, Sales and Merchandising Commons