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A new international study suggests that insecurity in romantic relationships may directly drive people’s desire for wealth, status, and luxury goods.

The research, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, combined six separate studies involving 4,456 participants from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, and Poland.

At the centre of the findings is the concept of “attachment anxiety” — a psychological state in which individuals fear rejection, abandonment, or not being sufficiently valued in close relationships.

Researchers found that people with higher levels of attachment anxiety are more likely to pursue symbols of high social status, including luxury cars, expensive homes, and other markers of success. This effect becomes even stronger when individuals perceive competition from potential rivals.

According to the authors, the key driver is not materialism itself, but social insecurity — a persistent fear of being “less than others.” This leads people to engage in constant comparison and to compensate for emotional insecurity through displays of status and achievement.

The study also found that attachment anxiety is linked not just to general ambition, but to more competitive and dominance-oriented behaviours, rather than healthy achievement motivation. Interestingly, this relationship was not fully explained by materialism or general competitiveness alone.

In experimental parts of the research, participants were prompted to recall emotionally stressful relationship experiences. After doing so, they showed a stronger preference for high-status options when choosing cars and housing.

When researchers manipulated levels of perceived competition, the effect either intensified or weakened — but only when it came to luxury or status-related choices.

The authors concluded that the pursuit of status may function as a psychological coping mechanism, helping individuals manage feelings of insecurity and perceived threat in their personal relationships.

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