Your health is weirdly influenced by the car you drive. (google it) The look of your car effects testosterone and hormone levels.
I really like the rest of your post, but this part is very intriguing (Google didn't help me, unfortunately). I drive a '99 manual-everything 156k-mile Metro with no clearcoat left on the hood (the rest is still shiny but denty), are you saying my testosterone could be EVEN HIGHER if I had a fancier car?
However, I've noticed that whenever I drive my GF's sister's zero-visibility, uncomfortable, not-for-people-above-5'8", CVT shiny white Prius C I feel like a giant wimp.
(I joke, but I'm legitimately curious about what you said.)
Here is one quick link, but there seems to many links if you Google "testosterone levels cars" -
http://www.formulaoz.com/red-fast-increases-testosterone-levels/I'm sure the whole testosterone level, ego, emotional wellness thing plays into many things and purchases in life. And a person can actually fall in love with an object such as a car via hormonal responses.
It is probably the reason we like to buy nice houses in nice neighborhoods. I know each time I arrive home I get a little buzz when I see my fancy pants house. (paid 1/3 the value for it)
Since this thread is about looking poor -- my hypothesis is that it is better for mental and physical health to not look poor. Even when I put on my $2 thrift shop designer shirt I can feel a psychic bump.
It has been known for centuries that uniforms are very influential on a persons attitudes and feelings. In fact, kids who wear uniforms to school perform better.
Can you imagine a Judge dressing in Bermuda shorts and a tank top with long hair and a beard? There is a reason for that. (or better yet a female judge in short shorts and a tube top. lol)
Yes, I enjoy dressing poor sometimes and bragging about the shoes I found that someone left behind at the campground, but the reality is we all like to do some dressing up. I think this is perfectly fine for us folks here in the mustache world.
You might even reverse the game --- See if you can dress better than 95% of the people but only pay 10% as much for the clothes. See if you can drive a car that is in the top 5% but you bought it at auction and will sell it for a profit. See if you can have the prettiest home in the neighborhood, but have paid well below the average.
Why deprive yourself of nice clothes, nice cars and nice homes?
Living well is not a crime, paying for it on credit is a misdemeanor though! lol
(and by the way, I'm sure that people who drive Priuses have below average testosterone levels. lol)