Weird Michigan Study Highlights Men With 'Big Logo' Shirts

Do you like to wear a t-shirt with a giant logo on it? Like Ed Hardy shirts or Nike shirts? You do? Here's what people think of you.

Why the University of Michigan decided to test what people think of men who wear giant logos on their shirts, I may never know. But as a man who has a few shirts with giant logos on them, at least know now how people feel about me, and it ain't good.

The psychologist who helmed the study said he was trying to determine if wearing bright, outlandish clothes had the same effect for male humans as peacock feathers have in the bird world. That is, do they attract mates?

And apparently most people THINK they attract mates, but they really don't.

Daniel Kruger found that large, ostentatious displays of logos prompted certain stereotypes, but none conducive to long term mating.

'Rather than being a reliable and honest signal of future paternal investment, displays of luxury goods may sometimes represent investment in mate attraction, which is at the expense of future investment in offspring,' he said.
'Luxury displays featuring exaggerated size, coloration, and sound may indicate relatively greater investment in mating effort.'
'Large luxury product logos enhance social competitiveness and mate attraction, whereas small logos enhance perceptions of trustworthiness and reliability.'

So there you go, showy men suck. In other words, the smaller the logo, the more reliable the man. Got it?

The study also found that we automatically make assumptions about men who wear shirts with big logos. We assume . . .

1. They get-it-on with more people.

2. They're harder to trust.

3. They're less reliable.

4. They're not relationship material.

Well, it's clear I need to make a trip to Goodwill this week.