A new study has revealed that advertisements showing images of sexy women make male consumers less charitable.
Authors Xiuping Li (National University of Singapore) and Meng Zhang (Chinese University of Hong Kong) said that their primary focus is to show how exposure to pictures of sexy women, which are "ubiquitous in modern society", could temporarily decrease the male consumer's sense of psychological connectedness with others.
The study showed that men who viewed the images of sexy women focused more on how their body felt (tired, excited, sleepy, or bored) and less on their social roles and what kind of person they are (smart, team player, outgoing, etc.).
In one study, men who were shown the images of sexy women were less willing to give 10 dollars to another student (regardless of whether the other student was male or female) and less likely to show support for wildlife protection by purchasing and wearing a t-shirt that promoted the protection of endangered species.
Authors concluded that charities that appeal for donations and brands selling environmentally friendly products might want to reconsider placing advertisements in media that are rich in visual sexual cues (such as popular men's magazines or late-night TV shows) since these strategies may backfire.
The study is published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
