If you’ve splurged on a new designer item, you may be tempted to wear it into the office.
But a new study suggests that flaunting luxury brands at work could a bad idea.
Researchers from the University of Michigan found that people who display luxury brands and other signals of status are more likely to be seen as uncooperative.
‘It is generally assumed that signalling status can strategically benefit people who want to appear high class – why else would people pay a premium for products with luxury logos that have no other functional benefits?’ said Dr Shalena Srna, lead author of the study.
‘But it can also backfire by making them seem more self-interested.’
Researchers from the University of Michigan found that people who display luxury brands and other signals of status are more likely to be seen as uncooperative (stock image)
Previous studies have shown that people who appear to be wealthy tend to be seen as more intelligent, disciplined and competent.
However, in the new study, the team set out to understand whether showing off your wealth also affects people’s perception of your willingness to collaborate.
In the study, the team carried out six experiments involving a total of more than 2,800 participants.
In one experiment, 395 participants were asked to evaluate a range of social media profiles to find people who they thought were cooperative, selfless and generous to join their community.
The profiles either had neutral posts, such as ‘I saw the cutest puppy today! #goldenretrievers’, or posts signalling a high social status, such as ‘Heading to Madrid! #firstclass #luxury’.
The results revealed that participants were less likely to recommend a profile to join their community if they had posts signalling high social status.
They also rated these profiles as wealthier, more concerned with status, and less likely to care about others.
In another experiment, 1,345 participants were asked to imagine they were creating their own social media profile, and needed to choose what to wear for their profile picture.
Participants were told they were being selected for an online group. However, only half were told that the group they were hoping to join was looking for a cooperative person.
Clothing options included luxury brands such as Prada or Gucci, non-luxury brands such Sketchers, or unbranded clothing.
The results revealed that participants who were trying to appear as a cooperative team player were much less likely to choose luxury clothes for their profile picture.
However, paritcipants were equally likely to choose to wear a non-luxury brand, whether cooperation was emphasised or not.
People who wear more modest clothing in the office (stock image) are more likely to be seen as cooperative
‘This experiment shows that people are attuned to when the value of luxury logos switches from positive to negative,’ Dr Srna said.
‘Not only are people strategic about when to signal status, they are also strategic about modesty.’
While modesty appears to be key when cooperation is essential, the researchers emphasise that luxury brands may be beneficial when selecting group members based on other traits.
For example, participants were more likely to choose a person signalling their wealth when looking for a competitive team member.
The findings suggest that people may change how they present themselves depending on their social goal.
‘Posting about your luxury purchases and expensive vacations on Instagram or TikTok may help you to persuade others, intimidate competitors and succeed on the dating market – at least for men.
‘But it could also signal to potential friends or future employers that you are unlikely to think about the needs of others,’ Dr Srna said.
‘This becomes a tricky balancing act for people who may want to impress others while also demonstrating that they can be a “team player”.’
