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

July 13, 2009

Cross-Cultural Differences in Creativity

When it comes to behaviors in a brainstorming task, individuals from individualistic societies (e.g., Canada or the United States) perform quite differently from their collectivist counterparts (e.g., Taiwan or Japan). Specifically, individualists produce a greater number of ideas; they display a greater amount of open hostility; and they are more overconfident about their performance. On the other hand, collectivists generate ideas of greater quality (marginally so). Hence, it does appear that specific cultural traits can affect one's creative juices. Read More

June 29, 2009

Evolutionary Psychology Yields Fascinating and Unexpected Findings.

A biochemist recently challenged me to identify a single valuable and/or interesting finding that evolutionary psychology (EP) has produced. Notwithstanding the astonishing hyperbole inherent to such a statement, I decide to take him up on his offer. In today's post, I list a small set of findings originating from the EP framework that I consider to be demonstrative of the field's capacity to generate interesting, innovative, and powerful findings. I am hoping that the readers will note that none of the findings are congruent with genetic determinism; none condone or justify rape or male infidelity; none consist of fanciful just-so story telling; and none posit unfalsifiable hypotheses. Archimedes, as shown in the teaser image, was famous for having had a Eureka moment. Let's hope that I might trigger an Archimedean epiphany in some of the anti-EPers albeit I suspect that their staunchly held opinions are non-malleable.

June 22, 2009

The Never-Ending Misconceptions About Evolutionary Psychology.

Sharon Begley has just written an article in Newsweek wherein she castigates the field of evolutionary psychology (EP) using the same antiquated and perfectly erroneous set of criticisms that have been laid to rest long ago. The anti-EP dragon is slain repeatedly and yet it always resurfaces, emboldened by its blind and prideful ignorance of the facts. In today's post, I will focus on a few key misconceptions as enunciated by Ms. Begley in her article. Read More

June 15, 2009

The Narcissism and Grandiosity of Celebrities.

Most celebrities have at best graduated from high school. Hence, it is quite extraordinary that they should feel sufficiently knowledgeable as to "contribute" to complex issues in physics (Madonna), psychiatry (Tom Cruise), or medicine (Jenny McCarthy and Suzanne Somers). Here is a thought: Entertain us at the movies and in concert halls, and leave the science for scientists. Celebrities might wish to take heed of the famous quote by Confucius: "When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge."

June 9, 2009

The Triggers of Envy Are Different for Men and Women.

In terms of their general disposition, men and women are equally envious. On the other hand, when asked about things that make them envious of same-sex rivals, they display dissimilar triggers of envy (e.g., the beauty, intelligence, and social status of same-sex rivals). Such is the explanatory power of evolutionary theory, as it can help us predict the areas in which men and women are similar, and those wherein we should expect clear sex differences. Vive nos différences! Read More

June 1, 2009

Men and Women Experience Sexual and Emotional Infidelity Differently.

Whereas both men and women experience overall romantic jealousy in equal amounts, the triggers of such jealousy are sex-specific. Men respond more harshly to sexual infidelity than do women while women respond more adversely to emotional infidelity than do men. These universal emotional reactions are rooted in adaptive processes linked to sex-specific mating concerns. Read More

May 25, 2009

Do Attractive Men Have Better Sperm?

Several studies have uncovered positive correlations between metrics of phenotypic quality (e.g., facial attractiveness, body symmetry, and finger symmetry) and sperm quality. Given that Stephen Colbert is both sexy and intelligent, perhaps this is why he has been marketing aggressively his Formula 401 "premium man juice" (as he so eloquently refers to it). Read More

May 19, 2009

Shopping for Good Genes: Intelligent Men Have Better Quality Sperm.

In a recent study published in Intelligence, Rosalind Arden and her colleagues found significant correlations between men's intelligence and the quality of their sperm (concentration, count, and motility). This puts a whole new twist to the idea that some mating behaviors that women engage in are instantiations of their shopping for good genes. Read More

May 14, 2009

Inoculations Against Religiosity: Intelligence and Education

Scholars have investigated the relationship between intelligence and religiosity, as well as between education level and religiosity for several decades. Religious folks might be unhappy with the unequivocal evidence that has been generated thus far. IQ and religiosity are negatively correlated, both at the individual as well as national levels. Religiosity and educational attainment are also negatively correlated. Amongst the educated classes, professors are the least likely to be religious. Finally, within the academe, the more eminent a professor is, the less he/she is likely to be religious. Bottom line: intelligence and education are the vaccines against the religion memeplex. Read More

May 4, 2009

Good Male Dancers are Hot!

Men who dance well possess greater body symmetry and more masculinized finger digit ratios (a marker of exposure to testosterone in utero). It is not surprising then that dancing constitutes an important element of the courtship ritual across many species including for humans. Thus, in addition to the postulated relationship between one's dance moves and one's abilities in the bedroom, scientific research suggests that dancing ability is correlated with phenotypic quality. This might in part explain the popularity of dance competitions on television (e.g., Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance) as well as the success of boy bands, these typically being comprised of young attractive men who dance well. 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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