Low self-esteem leads to impulsive buying in men - but not women

Engagement with luxury brands on social media lowers self-esteem while increasing materialism and social media addiction, finds new research from Corvinus University of Budapest. Among men, these changes lead to more impulsive buying – a pattern not observed in women.

Professor Matthew Gorton from Corvinus University and Newcastle University, alongside researchers from Yarmouk University and Audencia Business School, investigated how engagement with brands on social media impacts self-esteem, social media addiction, and buying behaviour. To do so, they surveyed 1,076 luxury brand customers.

The results show that engagement with luxury brands, through platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, lowers self-esteem while increasing social media addiction and focus on materialistic values. Self-esteem and materialism were found to significantly influence impulsive buying for men but not women.

“Highly engaged customers become more focused on material possessions and experience reductions in self-esteem as they are repeatedly exposed to idealised luxury goods and lifestyles that highlight gaps between their actual and ideal selves. For men in particular, luxury brand engagement on social media may activate status-related concerns and pressures to display material success, making self-esteem and materialistic values central drivers of unplanned purchases,” says Professor Gorton.

The researchers emphasise the need for marketing managers to recognise that customers with lower self-esteem or higher materialistic tendencies are more vulnerable to impulsive buying behaviours. Consequently, brands should focus on marketing campaigns that emphasise value, quality, and long-term satisfaction rather than just status or luxury. Luxury brands can also explore partnerships with social media platforms and mental health organisations to promote responsible use.

These findings were first published in the journal Internet Research.

/ENDS

About Corvinus University of Budapest
Corvinus University of Budapest is Hungary's leading university in the field of business, economics, and social sciences. Maintained by the Maecenas Universitatis Corvini Foundation, Corvinus University currently has around 8,000 students, including 2,000 international students. The school has close links with 170 partner universities worldwide and is regularly included in international higher education rankings. In 2025, Corvinus earned the 5 Palmes of Excellence award from Eduniversal and is the only university in Hungary in the field of economics to hold two international institutional accreditations (AMBA and AACSB).

For more information, a copy of the research paper, or to speak with researcher Matthew Gorton, please contact Kyle Grizzell from BlueSky Education on +44 (0) 1582 790709 or kyle@bluesky-pr.com