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Table of contents
1. Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior..........................................................................................

Bibliography...................................................................................................................................................... 5

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Document 1 of 1

Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior

Author: Hama, Aldric
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Abstract: Diamond rings, fur coats, high-end smartphones, Hummer sport utility vehicles and $4 cups of coffee
may be extravagant, empty consumerism, but selecting and acquiring goods and services is the means by
which modern humans signal their reproductive fitness as well as convey significant psychological traits of the
owners to observers. [...] the personal computer and the Internet may facilitate the formation of homogenous
communities.
Full text: Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior Geoffrey Miller Viking, 2009
A few minutes spent sitting in a Starbucks in Tokyo, Washington, D.C. or any big city, watching the pedestrians
and the traffic will reveal that modern consumption goes way beyond satisfying basic requirements for survival
and reproductive fitness. Diamond rings, fur coats, high-end smartphones, Hummer sport utility vehicles and $4
cups of coffee may be extravagant, empty consumerism, but selecting and acquiring goods and services is the
means by which modern humans signal their reproductive fitness as well as convey significant psychological
traits of the owners to observers.
Geoffrey Miller, associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico, evaluates "consumerist
capitalism" from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. Consumerist behavior, wasteful and vacuous as it
is on the surface, could be understood as trait-signaling. Rather than the crude Freudian innuendos generally
favored by social psychologists, consumer behavior is mediated by adaptive behaviors which evolved over the
millions of years humans spent as hunter-gatherers. Both modern technological and social developments are
considered evolutionary novel and our "Stone Age" brains have not yet adapted to current conditions. Miller's
book is written in a highly entertaining yet thought-provoking style.
Consumerism is often described as the desire to "ornament" oneself with goods and services for the purpose of
impressing others. However, Miller points out that consumerism goes well beyond fulfilling our own short-lived
gratification, as outward signaling of our personality traits, the "Central Six", and reproductive fitness.12 Trait
signaling in modern civilization has moved away from heritable phenotypes to externally produced objects and
abstractions. In addition to goods and services, brand names by themselves can serve as trait signals.
Recognition of brand names evokes robust activity in brain areas associated with cognition and reward.13
Depending on the perceived value of the brand, different areas of the brain are activated, suggesting differential
effects on behavior. Consumerism allows anyone to signal desirable traits, whether they actually have them or
not.
Miller points out that as objects and abstractions acquire value as a means of displaying innate qualities,
consumer goods acquire quasi-biological properties. Physical and mental traits evolved over time in response to
natural and sexual selection. Likewise, consumer goods and brands have "evolved" over time but in response to
consumer preferences. Akin to rare biological traits that signal high fitness, high cost and precision are essential
characteristics that signal high quality consumer goods. In nature, costly and precise traits found in animals
indicate diseaseresistance and health and serve as guarantees of fitness. In modern society, high-end products,
such as foreign-made cars and electronics, alcoholic beverages, brand-name pharmaceuticals and college
degrees from prestigious institutions, come with guarantees, either implied or explicit, to perform in a certain,
consistent manner, and signal desirable traits such as high intelligence and conscientiousness. These high-end
products also suggest that users become a part of an elite, like-minded group.
Inevitably, there are individuals without desirable traits who will attempt to obtain high-value goods by any
means. The huge market for "knock-offs," or counterfeits, attests to the power of brand names on the
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subconscious need to trait display, ultimately to signal reproductive fitness. Indeed, "tackiness" is the result of a
clash between high-end signals and the absence of the underlying qualities associated with those goods (e.g.
people with low-IQ/conscientious driving a Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan). To an outside observer, the
disconnect between high-end signals and their unworthy owners can be amusing, and such deception may lead
to social tension.14 More seriously, though, is that such signalers may end up undeservingly being rewarded
with reproductive success.
In an attempt to keep luxury goods restricted to those who are truly worthy and to maintain their perceived high
status, manufactures employ sophisticated anticounterfeiting measures.15 Over time, counterfeiters eventually
overcome such measures, and in response, manufactures must employ other countermeasures. Likewise, an
evolutionary "arms race" occurs in nature between the ability to deceive and the ability to uncover frauds. On
one hand, when looking for a mate, clever lying can be advantageous if they are able to successfully deceive
potential mates. On the other hand, they could face extinction if potential mates are not at all impressed with
their charade. In society in general, deceivers and counterfeiters thrive since they rarely face punishment as
drastic as extinction of their lineage.16
The Web, Miller suggests, provides an interesting counterpoint to the real world - those who grossly exaggerate
or lie about, for example, their music preferences are exposed as "posers" and quickly ostracized, despite
anonymity and lack of formally set social norms. Interestingly, music preference allows for reasonable
assessment of the Central Six traits. A reasonably accurate assessment of these traits can also be obtained by
examining the contents of a person's social-networking homepage. To some extent the Web serves as a basis
for alternative communities of like-minded individuals (of compatible personalities and possibly genetic
closeness), transcending social-political boundaries as well as bypassing traditional, universalist, massconsumerism. Miller raises a thoughtprovoking question: what would society be like if we lived in communities
based on compatibility with the Central Six traits?
In multiracial communities, the value of one's conscientiousness, openness or intelligence may be
underappreciated by genetically distant peoples. The only way to distinguish oneself in such communities is
through conspicuous consumption. Those with high intelligence and conscientious go to better colleges, land
the cognitive demanding, high-salary jobs and move to the suburbs whereas those who are less intelligent and
conscientious end up in inner-city ghettos. Despite their low socioeconomic status, these people will still pursue
conspicuous consumption to signal traits. As the Central Six traits are heritable, the stratification solidifies over
time, with a cognitive elite ruling over everyone else. In multiracial countries, stratification occurs by race, based
on racial differences in cognitive ability. Countries that are the least economically stratified, such as in European
and East Asia, are generally ethnically homogeneous.17
Miller extends his biological analysis to consumerist capitalism as well. Although consumerism could have the
potential to enhance trait-signaling transparency, the opposite has occurred. As intelligent as humans are in
understanding the natural world and manipulating it to increase reproductive fitness and offspring viability,
interpreting cues that signal innate traits remains a profound mystery, as any single young man can attest. The
utility of transparent signals would not be limited to finding mates. Transparent signals would be useful in
admitting only those who are truly qualified into select colleges and cognitively demanding occupations.
Possible solutions to increase signal reliability and decrease signaling error include "trait tattoos" or certification
of minimum qualifications - such as IQ tests. However, since social scientists reject the concept that behavior is
genetically derived, they will insist that government impose equality by prohibiting restrictions and qualifications
(such as IQ tests). Miller counters by noting that governments have yet to demonstrate success in modifying
innate behavior.
There are many points that Miller raises that are thought-provoking, particularly the formation of likeminded
communities in an era of multiculturalism. Close ties to kin, in-group cooperation and common culture formed
the foundation of human communities prior to the agricultural revolution and the rise urbanization. Rather than
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signaling through things, one's signaling was though deeds and communication. Within a homogenous
community, and shared behavioral norms, signaling would be more difficult to fake and reduce the likelihood of
success for cheaters. The break-up family and kin for the sake of career has lead to the weakening of traditional
support structure. In consumerist countries, not only has this in turn lead to alienation and isolation but also
subreplacement birth rates.18 Miller does not advocate outright rejection of consumerism and a return to
pastoral, agrarianbased societies, since consumer-driven capitalism has led to significant material
improvements in quality of life. In fact, the personal computer and the Internet may facilitate the formation of
homogenous communities.
Perhaps communities of like-minded individuals may help to attenuate the worst forms of consumerism. The
empty pursuit of irrelevant signaling in modern day egalitarian society has not led to more happiness but the
opposite. Perhaps we can connect again to what is truly important in "Miller's communities."
Aldric Hama
Footnote
12 The Big Five personalities (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism (or
emotional stability) plus intelligence
13 M. Schaefer &M. Rotte, 2007, Brain Research, vol. 1165.
14 Rodney Dangerfield's character in Caddyshack (1980), in which he plays a Jewish real estate developer who
oafishly forces his way into an exclusive "wasp" country club, serves as an example of social tension that is
amusing.
15 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-29/u-s-seizes-82-websiteson- allegations-they-sold-fake-goodsholder-says.html
16 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-09/wall-street-s-worst-atleast- can-do-the-math-commentary-byjonathan-weil.html
17 G. Meisenberg, 2007, Mankind Quarterly, vol. 47.
18 L. Newson et al., 2005, Personality and Social Psychology Review, vol. 9.
Subject: Brand names; Intelligence; Capitalism; Consumerism; Society; Animal reproduction; Consumer goods;
Publication title: Mankind Quarterly
Volume: 51
Issue: 3
Pages: 366-371
Number of pages: 6
Publication year: 2011
Publication date: Spring 2011
Year: 2011
Section: Book Reviews
Publisher: Council for Social and Economic Studies, Inc.
Place of publication: Washington
Country of publication: United States
Publication subject: Anthropology, Psychology, Biology--Genetics
ISSN: 00252344

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Source type: Scholarly Journals

Language of publication: English
Document type: Book Review-Favorable
ProQuest document ID: 865652948
Document URL: http://search.proquest.com/docview/865652948?accountid=61315
Copyright: Copyright Council for Social and Economic Studies Spring 2011
Last updated: 2011-07-21
Database: ProQuest Social Science Journals,ProQuest Research Library

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Bibliography
Citation style: Harvard
Hama, A. 2011, "Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior", Mankind Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 366371.

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