Young people do not universally feel immortal; threatened adolescents often overestimate their chance of dying. What turns a shortened horizon into presence rather than fatalism is not age or civilization, but agency.
adolescentsconsumer behaviorcultural comparisondecision making
Refusing to spend can signal status just as reliably as spending does — Milan boutique staff rated a woman in gym clothes as the more likely buyer. Meanwhile the psychology shows two entirely different machines producing the same thrifty behaviour, and only one of them feels good.
Why do we spend money on impractical luxury items, even when we know it's irrational? Explore the 'Peacock Paradox' and discover how costly signaling, rooted in evolutionary biology, hardwires our desire for status over utility.
