Simple yet sophisticated: Minimalism promotes perceived social status

Minimalism has emerged as a burgeoning social trend. 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. These hypotheses were empirically supported across seven studies employing diverse methods, including field experiments, secondary data analyses, and laboratory experiments, with a total sample size of 6,300. The findings contribute significantly to the literature on minimalism, social status, and perceived taste.