Synonyms
Definition
Advertisements, which are widely available, can provide insights into the evolved preferences of target audiences and serve as a useful supplement to other methods in evolutionary psychology research.
Introduction
Advertisements present an important source of data for evolutionary psychologists. Advertising is ubiquitous in our fast-paced, modern world, and people living in urban places are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands, of advertisements daily. Yet, little research exists that describes how advertisements can be prudently utilized. This chapter discusses how advertisers create content that strategically exploits consumers’ values and preferences and how advertising content can provide insights into various aspects of our evolved psychology.
Advertising: More Than Meets the Eye
Advertising refers to a paid, mediated form of communication from an identifiable source, designed to persuade the receiver to take action,...
References
Buss, D. M., & Schmitt, D. P. (1993). Sexual strategies theory: An evolutionary perspective on human mating. Psychol Rev, 100, 204–232.
Ganzach, Y., & Karsahi, N. (1995). Message framing and buying behavior: A field experiment. J Bus Res, 32, 11–17.
Hill, S. E., Rodeheffer, C. D., Griskevicius, V., Durante, K., & White, A. E. (2012). Boosting beauty in an economic decline: Mating, spending, and the Lipstick Effect. J Pers Soc Psychol, 103(2), 275–291.
Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47, 263–291.
Li, N. P., Lim, A. J. Y., Tsai, M. H., & O, J. (2015). Too materialistic to get married and have children? PLoS One, 10, e0126543.
Maner, J. K., Gailliot, M. T., & DeWall, N. (2007). Adaptive attentional attunement: Evidence for mating-related perceptual bias. Evol Hum Behav, 28, 28–36.
Saad, G. (2004). Applying evolutionary psychology in understanding the representation of women in advertisements. Psychol Mark, 21(8), 593–612.
Trivers, R. L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In B. Campbell (Ed.), Sexual selection and the descent of man 1871–1971 (pp. 136–179). Chicago: Aldine.
Wilson, M., & Daly, M. (2004). Do pretty women inspire men to discount the future? Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 271(4), 177–179.
Yong, J. C., Li, N. P., Valentine, K. A., & Smith, A. R. (2016). Female virtual intrasexual competition and its consequences: An evolutionary mismatch perspective. In M. L. Fisher (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of women and competition. New York: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Yong, J.C., Li, N.P. (2016). Advertising. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1854-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1854-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences