I am better when I am bad: effects of romantic alternatives on nonsingle men’s versus women’s experiential and material purchases

People have an innate motivation to establish and maintain romantic relationships with others, and consumption is often utilized to construct personal image. In the current research, we explore the effect of romantic alternatives on nonsingles’ experiential and material purchases. Across six studies, the results reveal that romantic alternative triggers self-enhancement in nonsingles, which in turn affects experiential versus material purchases. Specifically, men have a stronger preference for experiential purchases, while women prefer material purchases when encountering the desire for others. The studies also test the function of experiential versus material purchases in signaling desirable partner images as part of self-enhancement and address the alternative explanation of relationship seeking. The findings recognize a subtle tactic that is resorted to cope with alternatives by consumption to achieve self-enhancement, which contributes to the literature on relationship maintenance. Furthermore, this research sheds light on purchase signals of experimental and material consumption in romantic relationship context, providing practical suggestions for marketing.