Applying Evolutionary Psychology in Consumer Behavior, Marketing, and Advertising

I shall begin by highlighting the paucity of evolutionary-based research within the consumer behavior discipline. Subsequently, several recent or ongoing projects wherein we have applied the evolutionary psychology framework in consumer behavior/marketing will be discussed including: (1) gift-giving between romantic partners; (2) the depiction of women in advertising; (3) the development of effective public service announcements regarding the risks of sun tanning; (4) information search prior to choosing/rejecting a mate, the ultimate of all "consumption" decisions; (5) birth order effects in the acceptance of product innovations (using Sulloway's framework). Time permitting, I will go over some recently published papers wherein we have used evolutionary principles in exploring the effects of the sex make-up of a dyad on the offers made in the Ultimatum and Dictator games.