It may apply to unmarrried, but to married: don’t forget the wife has a say on what is spent and what is not, so there may be some interference in the signalling.

And, what is there that a married guy can buy to attract the opposite sex?? A toupe? If he buys a hot car, his wife might use it, signalling her intentions and that she is hot.

Sometimes lab experiments are confined to the circumstances and cannot be stretched too far into other contexts.

But, I suddenly have this urge to buy….

But, I would be careful about lab experiments, and also careful about simply attracting the opposite sex and seeking more stable relationships, such marriage, which, obviously, was not a part of the experiment.

So, if the otherside of the match–the female–is seeking a committed relationship, she might take the signal of ostentatious spending as signalling this is a person with a one night stand in mind (how many people do you know who have fancy bachelor pads designed to entice the chics) v. the guy who is attentive, not fancy, and looks like a family man.

Don’t forget–this is a two sided game.

For example, making a pass at another woman in front of your wife, implies that you don’t care that your wife knows and suggests that this other women might mean more to you emotionally. From an evolutionary standpoint this suggests that you might want to invest more in her children than you wifes.

If on the other hand the attraction seeking behavior is secret, this implies that attention of these women is secondary to your wifes. It shouldn’t matter much were you throw your seed, so long as all of your material and emotional investment stays with her.