NOT Guns; That OTHER Penis Substitute, LOL!

From the STrib:

Research: For some men, what they drive reveals true sexual motives

• Article by: PAUL WALSH , Star Tribune
• Updated: June 16, 2011 - 12:59 PM

 

The racier the car, the racier the hormones -- unless you are Anthony Weiner.That's what research results compiled with the help of the University of Minnesota say about some men when it comes to conspicuous spending and their desire for sexual dalliances.
The series of studies, "Peacocks, Porsches and Thorstein Veblen: Conspicuous Consumption as a Sexual Signaling System," was conducted with nearly 1,000 test subjects and published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Veblen, an American economist and sociologist, popularized the term "conspicuous consumption" of the leisure class more than 100 years ago and pooh-poohed its contribution to productivity.
Researchers found that just as peacocks flaunt their tails before potential mates, men may flaunt flashy possessions to charm potential dates. Notably, not all men use this ploy - just those with short-term sexual relationships on their mind.
Congressman Weiner's vehicle selection -- he drives a Nissan Pathfinder -- seems to run counter to the research.
"The studies show that some men are like peacocks. They're the ones driving the bright-colored sports car," co-author Vladas Griskevicius, assistant marketing professor at the U, said in a statement announcing the research results Thursday.
In one of the studies, women viewed two biographies for a man. They each were 32 years old, had a master's degree, worked for a Fortune 500 company as a senior analyst and enjoyed bicycling, movies and music. The only difference being that one drove a Porsche ($58,000) and the other a Honda ($15,655).
The man with the Porsche was preferred over the Honda man as a date but not for marriage. Women inferred from a man's flashy spending that he was interested in sex without commitment, the study concluded.
"When women considered [a man] for a long-term relationship, owning the sports car held no advantage relative to owning an economy car," said Daniel Beal, assistant professor of psychology at Rice. "People may feel that owning flashy things makes them more attractive as a relationship partner, but in truth, many men might be sending women the wrong message."
And this is not a two-way street, the studies found. While men may use conspicuous consumption as a short-term mating call, the researchers discovered that women are not inclined to do the same.
Along with Minnesota, others schools involved in the research were the University of Texas-San Antonio, Rice University, Arizona State University and the University of New Mexico.
Paul Walsh

Now, I'm finding this particularly interesting in the light of the accusation that the Obama administration was buying record numbers of limos.  Except.......they weren't.  Limos were sedans, or protective service vehicles for the State Department for VIPs; a number of them weren't ordered by Obama but rather ordered and paid for by the Bush administration, just delivered during the Obama term; and the reported numbers were flat out incorrect.  So, the latest thing for us in MN is the news that one of our Congressmen, (R) Chip Cravaack, is leasing a $1,000 a month luxury car for himself and his staff, using tax payer money.
Being a congressman seems to have gone to his head; I think it would be far more appropriate to use his own car - he lives here - and submit mileage expenses, if he is going to be espousing all the sacrifices and belt tightening; or at the very least, to lease a cheaper, less extravagant vehicle.  But like Weiner, I can't see it as a sexual thing, since he's not driving the kind of vehicle above.  I should contact the U of MN and ask them what limos and luxury vehicles mean in terms of sexual signals......