Homo Consumericus

The Nature and Nurture of Consumption

Dr. Gad Saad is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the John Molson School of Business (Concordia University) and author of The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption. See full bio

Homo Consumericus

February 5, 2010

Wearing Makeup Increases Male Advances At a Bar.

When at a bar, women who wore makeup were approached by men more quickly and more frequently than when not wearing any makeup. For a vivid portrayal of the makeup effect, see the beautiful Vanessa Hudgens (pictured here). Read More

February 2, 2010

Paper Linking MMR Vaccine to Autism Has Been Retracted.

In light of The Lancet's retraction of the paper that had supposedly demonstrated a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, I wonder what Jenny McCarthy's next move will be.

January 30, 2010

How Likely Is a Woman to be Taller Than Her Man?

Notwithstanding the desirability of tall men, it appears that the most important issue is not that the man be taller than a certain height, rather the main concern for women is that their men should be taller than them. Read More

January 21, 2010

Pornography: Beneficial or Detrimental?

Does pornography yield deleterious effects to individuals and/or society (e.g., increased negative views toward women; increased rate of sexual crimes against women)? The evidence suggests otherwise. As a matter of fact, a recent study finds that the consumption of pornography results in powerful benefits to both sexes. Read More

January 16, 2010

The Benefits of Simon Cowell’s Harsh but Honest Feedback.

In providing honest feedback, Simon Cowell crushes dreams and bruises egos. In so doing he frees the delusional pretenders from chasing empty dreams. In this sense, he is providing a service not only to the talentless contestants but also to society, by ensuring that such individuals redirect their energies to more productive and beneficial goals. Dream chasing is nice but only if rooted in some semblance of reality. Read More

January 11, 2010

It Can Be Confusing to Find the One True Religion

It is often proclaimed that religions have more similarities than differences. The problem though is that there are literally an endless number of issues on which religions are diametrically opposed. If a Martian were to move to Earth with the hope of joining the one true religion, how would he decide which of the 10,000 religious narratives is the true one? Read More

January 5, 2010

Do Women Have G-Spots? A Twins Study Sheds Light on the Issue.

What is the percentage of women who claim to have a G-spot? Is the likelihood of a woman stating that she has a G-spot in part determined genetically? A forthcoming paper in the Journal of Sexual Medicine sheds light on the matter.

December 31, 2009

Miscellaneous Facts About New Year’s Resolutions.

What is the percentage of individuals who make New Year's resolutions? Which resolutions are the most common ones? What is the likelihood of failing to meet your resolutions? What are some factors that drive these failures? Hopefully, some of the information contained in this post will prove valuable in having you meet your personal objectives for the coming year.

December 26, 2009

Facts and Myths About the Human Penis.

Many men are obsessed about the size of their penises. Accordingly, I am here to report on some facts and myths related to this big issue (pun intended): (1) Are visible traits such as a man's shoe size correlated to his penis size? (2) How important is penis size to women; and (3) Does a penis' girth or length contribute more to a woman's sexual pleasure? Read More

December 21, 2009

Perfume Preferences and Body Chemistry

If you are going to offer someone a perfume/cologne as a gift this year, listen up! People prefer perfumes that seem best suited to their unique immunogenetic profiles, as captured by a set of genes known as the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). Specifically, preferred perfumes are those that are most likely to augment an individual's body fragrances, as a means of advertising his/her MHC signature. Read More

Books by Gad Saad, Ph.D.

The Evolutionary Bases of Consumption (Marketing and Consumer Psychology Series)

Evolutionary Psychology Basics

Our bodies evolved over eons, slowly calibrating to the African savanna on which 98 percent of our ancestors lived and died. So, too, did our brains. Evolutionary psychology postulates that the mind is shaped by pressure to survive and reproduce. We jealously guard romantic partners and cherish our closest relatives above all others, lest we fail to pass on our genes.

Go to the Evolutionary Psychology Basics page for more on Evolutionary Psychology including:

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Books by Gad Saad, Ph.D.

Evolutionary Psychology Basics

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