Marijn Meijers

Marijn Meijers

Marijn Meijers is co-author, with Rob Nelissen, of the 2011 paper Social benefits of luxury brands as costly signals of wealth and status.

Who they are

Meijers is a researcher and the second author of the 2011 paper in Evolution and Human Behavior (volume 32, issue 5, 343-355).

Key papers

Nelissen and Meijers (2011), Social benefits of luxury brands as costly signals of wealth and status, Evolution and Human Behavior, 32(5), 343-355.

Key ideas

The paper draws on costly signalling theory to test whether wearing luxury brands brings social advantages. Across seven experiments the authors varied whether clothing carried visible luxury brand labels.

People who displayed luxury received better treatment from others, and in some cases that treatment brought financial gains. The paper also examined when the benefits appear and what drives them. The authors conclude that spending on luxury goods can work as a social strategy because it signals wealth and status. The abstract does not state sample sizes.

Sources

  1. Nelissen, R. M. A., & Meijers, M. H. C. (2011). Social benefits of luxury brands as costly signals of wealth and status. Evolution and Human Behavior, 32(5), 343-355. doi:10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.12.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.12.002