Men in flashy cars not husband material

If you are looking for a meaningful relationship, best let the guy in the Porsche drive right by, new research suggests.

Men who buy flashy cars are often driven by a desire to have a short-term, no strings attached relationship, the study found.

“This research suggests that conspicuous products, such as Porsches, can serve the same function for some men that large and brilliant feathers serve for peacocks,” said Dr Jill Sundie, at the University of Texas-San Antonio, who led the study.

The study of more than 1,000 men and women aged between 18 to 57 found that although women find a man who drives a Porsche more sexually desirable than one who drives a Honda Civic, they also suspect he is not looking for long term romance.

For women seeking a more meaningful relationship, it was the man behind the wheel that counted rather than the car itself.

"When women considered him for a long-term relationship, owning the sports car held no advantage relative to owning an economy car,” said study co-author Daniel Beal, a psychologist at Rice University in Texas.

“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 unlike men, women don't use conspicuous spending as a short-term mating signal to attract the opposite sex, the researchers said.

“Obviously, women also spend plenty of money on expensive things,” Dr Sundie said. “But the anticipation of romance doesn’t trigger flashy spending as it does with some men.”

This article was published on Mon 20 June 2011