Simple yet sophisticated: Minimalism promotes perceived social status

Existing research has examined how minimalism affects individuals, but little is known about its social implications. For example, how does minimalism influence social status inference?

Drawing upon Bourdieu’s theory of social class, this study systematically investigates how, why, and when minimalism serves as a subtle signal of social status. Specifically, minimalist consumers are perceived to hold higher social status, due to better taste. However, when individuals are exposed to information implying that minimalism denotes poor taste, the effect reverses, with minimalism perceived as a signal of lower social status.