Women are more likely to buy and display luxury goods during the most fertile point of their menstrual cycle in a bid to attract prospective mates, according to a study by researchers at Jeonbuk National University in South Korea.
The research team found that the sudden urge to splurge on high-end designer items is not random, but may be rooted in an ancient biological drive. By showing off products from prominent luxury houses such as Gucci, Chanel, or Louis Vuitton, women increase their chances of being noticed by men during their peak fertility window.
"We suggest that women engage in conspicuous luxury consumption during ovulation, when they have a physiologically activated mating goal, because doing so helps women be noticed by men," the researchers wrote in the journal PLOS ONE, a peer-reviewed open-access scientific publication.
"Being noticed by as many men as possible increases the likelihood of attracting a desired partner for a romantic relationship," the authors added. The findings indicate that purchasing high-end items, including designer clothing, accessories, jewellery, and luxury automobiles, serves a purpose beyond merely signaling wealth and social prestige. Instead, it offers a mechanism for women to stand out when they experience heightened sexual desire and seek to outshine potential romantic rivals.
The study was conducted by scientists at Jeonbuk National University, a major public research institution located in Jeonju, South Korea. The investigation was split into three distinct experimental sections. Across all three stages, the research team collected urine samples to measure participant hormone levels alongside survey questionnaires that estimated each participant's exact phase within her menstrual cycle.
Brand logos and public display
In the first experiment, 70 female university students were instructed to draw logos of various luxury brands. Statistical analysis of the drawings revealed that participants drew significantly larger logos when they were near ovulation compared to when they were in the low fertility phase of their cycle. The authors noted that this pattern indicates women prefer more noticeable luxury branding during their most fertile days.
The second experiment expanded the sample to nearly 1,500 women who were surveyed regarding their purchase intentions for both luxury and non-luxury brands. Results showed that ovulating women with high fertility had an increased desire to purchase luxury to be flaunted in public, but not in private.
In the third experiment, women near ovulation showed a higher likelihood of choosing a gift certificate from a luxury brand over a high street retailer. However, this preference shifted when participants were presented with contrasting information. When informed of research finding that men do not notice women's designer clothes, women near ovulation were less likely to choose a luxury brand, even when at their most fertile stage.
"What we found most interesting is that the effect of ovulation on luxury desire is not simply a general increase in preference for expensive products," the researchers wrote. "Rather, it appears to be socially strategic: the effect becomes stronger when luxury consumption is visible and personally relevant but disappears when women believe that men do not pay attention to such signals."
Mating strategies and shopping compulsions
The overall evidence gathered by the research team supports the concept that a woman's ovulatory cycle influences her consumer behaviour toward men, particularly regarding expensive purchases designed to capture attention. "We contend that women who are near ovulation try to attract as many men as possible so they can select the best available mate," the team wrote. "A key part of attracting several possible mates is being noticed. Thus, the strategies women adopt in order to attract men, at a basic level, should focus on getting as many men as possible to notice them."
Beyond purchasing designer goods, the researchers explained that women may employ several other behavioural strategies to draw attention to themselves during ovulation. These tactics include wearing brighter colours, making choices that are more distinctive, or telling stories and jokes that would receive attention.
The findings come alongside clinical awareness of shopping compulsions. Compulsive Buying Disorder, a recognized psychological condition involving uncontrollable purchasing habits, often occurs alongside other mood, anxiety, or eating disorders, as well as substance abuse. The condition frequently emerges in late adolescence or early adulthood and typically worsens over time.
According to psychological criteria, key symptoms of compulsive buying include:
- Accumulating debt
- Hiding purchases from loved ones
- Tensions or breakdowns in relationships between friends and family
- Compensating for negative feelings by buying things
- Trying to stop shopping but unable to
Olfactory signals and ovulation research
The Jeonbuk study builds upon separate scientific research published last year regarding biological signaling during ovulation. In that study, researchers at the University of Tokyo, Japan's premier public research university, discovered that women smell more attractive to men during their most fertile period.
For their investigation, the University of Tokyo team recruited 21 women and monitored them across a full month. Participants were asked to wear absorbent pads underneath their arms at the four different stages of their menstrual cycle.
Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, an analytical chemistry technique used to identify chemical substances within a test sample, the researchers were able to work out three particular aroma compounds that increased when women were ovulating. Ovulation usually occurs on day 14 of a monthly cycle, when a woman is most likely to get pregnant.
These included (E)-geranylacetone, which has a fresh, floral and slightly sweet scent, and tetradecanoic acid, which has a waxy, soapy-like smell.
The scientists then asked men to smell a control odour, collected when a woman was not ovulating, and compare it to the same smell but with these aroma compounds manually added. Analysis revealed that men rated the fertile odours as more pleasant, and ranked the faces associated with the samples as more attractive and more feminine.
"These results suggest that body odour may in some way contribute to communication between men and women," the researchers explained.
