Money might not buy you love, but according to some studies in psychology and consumer behaviour, how you spend it could reveal a thing or two about your romantic intentions. These studies demonstrate that just thinking about meeting a new partner can actually impact our shopping decisions – affecting men and women differently.

金錢或許不能為你買來愛情，但根據心理學和消費者行為，你如何消費多少可以反映出你的浪漫心思。如下研究發現，單單想著和新愛侶見面就會影響我們的消費觀，男女受影響程度不同。

These studies are largely based on “costly signalling theory” – a model borrowed from evolutionary biology which suggests that conspicuous displays serve a vital function in signalling one’s desirable traits.

研究很大程度上基于“高價信號理論”,這一模型借自進化生物學，人們想要彰顯其渴求的特征，而曬出不易獲得的事物能發揮至關重要的作用。

In humans, the signals displayed by men and women tend to differ, due to the different traits that are thought to be attractive to the opposite sex based on evolutionary pressures. According to costly signalling theory, men should seek to display their wealth and resources to women, while women should advertise their helpfulness and kindness to men.

對于人類而言，基于進化壓力，男女吸引異性的特點不同，男女傳遞的信號也有所不同。根據“高價信號理論”，男性會尋求向女性顯示其財富和資源的機會，而女性則向男性熱推其樂善好施的品質。

Men who had romance on their minds were more likely to report that they would spend money on conspicuous luxury goods, for example a new car, a new watch, a new cell phone or a nice holiday. Women, on the other hand, did not increase their desire for luxury goods when thinking about meeting a new partner.

心懷浪漫的男士更有可能把錢花在顯而易見的奢侈品上，如新車、新表、新手機和美好的假期。而另一方面，女性想著要見新約會對象時并不會增加她想買奢侈品的欲望。

Surprisingly, this study also found that women who possessed luxury goods were seen by other women as having a more devoted romantic partner.

出人意料的是，這項研究還發現，擁有奢侈品的女性在其他女性看來意味著有一個摯愛的愛侶。

Men are willing to pay more for a conspicuous luxury car after thinking about a romantic rejection. This could be due to their desire to attract a new partner, after having had their self-esteem harmed. However, women show the opposite pattern: they are willing to pay more for a luxury car after thinking about a romantic success, likely because they view the car as a sign of relationship commitment with their partner.

男性若求愛遭拒，思來想去后是愿意花錢買招搖的奢侈轎車的。這可能因為男性在自尊心遭傷害后有吸引新伴侶的欲望。而女性則是相反的模式：她們在認為愛情順利的情況下才會愿意買豪車的，這很有可能是因為女性把這視為她們愛情不渝的標志。

Money might not buy you love, but according to some studies in psychology and consumer behaviour, how you spend it could reveal a thing or two about your romantic intentions. These studies demonstrate that just thinking about meeting a new partner can actually impact our shopping decisions – affecting men and women differently.

金錢或許不能為你買來愛情，但根據心理學和消費者行為，你如何消費多少可以反映出你的浪漫心思。如下研究發現，單單想著和新愛侶見面就會影響我們的消費觀，男女受影響程度不同。

These studies are largely based on “costly signalling theory” – a model borrowed from evolutionary biology which suggests that conspicuous displays serve a vital function in signalling one’s desirable traits.

研究很大程度上基于“高價信號理論”,這一模型借自進化生物學，人們想要彰顯其渴求的特征，而曬出不易獲得的事物能發揮至關重要的作用。

In humans, the signals displayed by men and women tend to differ, due to the different traits that are thought to be attractive to the opposite sex based on evolutionary pressures. According to costly signalling theory, men should seek to display their wealth and resources to women, while women should advertise their helpfulness and kindness to men.

對于人類而言，基于進化壓力，男女吸引異性的特點不同，男女傳遞的信號也有所不同。根據“高價信號理論”，男性會尋求向女性顯示其財富和資源的機會，而女性則向男性熱推其樂善好施的品質。

Men who had romance on their minds were more likely to report that they would spend money on conspicuous luxury goods, for example a new car, a new watch, a new cell phone or a nice holiday. Women, on the other hand, did not increase their desire for luxury goods when thinking about meeting a new partner.

心懷浪漫的男士更有可能把錢花在顯而易見的奢侈品上，如新車、新表、新手機和美好的假期。而另一方面，女性想著要見新約會對象時并不會增加她想買奢侈品的欲望。

Surprisingly, this study also found that women who possessed luxury goods were seen by other women as having a more devoted romantic partner.

出人意料的是，這項研究還發現，擁有奢侈品的女性在其他女性看來意味著有一個摯愛的愛侶。

Men are willing to pay more for a conspicuous luxury car after thinking about a romantic rejection. This could be due to their desire to attract a new partner, after having had their self-esteem harmed. However, women show the opposite pattern: they are willing to pay more for a luxury car after thinking about a romantic success, likely because they view the car as a sign of relationship commitment with their partner.

男性若求愛遭拒，思來想去后是愿意花錢買招搖的奢侈轎車的。這可能因為男性在自尊心遭傷害后有吸引新伴侶的欲望。而女性則是相反的模式：她們在認為愛情順利的情況下才會愿意買豪車的，這很有可能是因為女性把這視為她們愛情不渝的標志。