Car enthusiasts like most social groups come here different shapes, sizes and specialties, with some focusing on that classic cars, some who love electric cars, and a whole host of other niches. A Canadian Researchers and college professors surveyed over 500 business students to learn more about the suffering of car enthusiasts—specifically, what other psychological characteristics are present in people who enjoy them Cars with loud exhaust fumes. The results of this study drew connections between people with a preference for loud exhausts and people with psychopathic and sadistic tendencies. Harsh, but not necessarily unreasonable.
Julie Aitken Schermer is a professor of psychology, management and organizational studies at Western University in Ontario, Canada, and she laments the proliferation of Cars with unreasonably loud exhaust systems in your city. She surveyed an admittedly compartmentalized group of business students at Western University and found that the people who like loud exhausts also have problematic personality tendencies. Accordingly CBC News Canada,
“As part of the research, Schermer surveyed 529 business students – 289 men, 234 women and six who identified themselves as “other.” They were asked whether they view their car as an extension of themselves, how much they think loud cars are “cool,” and whether they would make their cars louder by modifying the muffler.
Schermer also gave them a Short Dark Tetrad (SD4) personality measure – another questionnaire that assesses a range of malignant personality traits, including narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism (associated with cunning and manipulation).
When she got the results, she expected a strong connection between someone preferring a muffler and narcissism, but that wasn’t the case.
“We found that it was sadism and psychopathy that predicted who would want to modify their mufflers, who would feel more connected to their vehicle, and that loud cars were really cool.”
“It seems to be this callous disregard for other people’s feelings and reactions. That’s the psychopathy coming out, and they probably also enjoy watching people get scared.”
Schermer complains about the sound of shots, loud engines, and squealing tires that characterize the car culture in her city, arguing that it scares her and her dog, as well as the local wildlife. She describes herself as “a typical academic” who conducted this study because she couldn’t find any existing psychological studies about what type of person prefers loud cars.
This study surveyed a very small subset of drivers who attended business school in London, Ontario. The type of person who goes to business school at a prestigious university is a very specific social group, and the students who both like cars and study business at that university are an even smaller niche. Young, ambitious business students are often the type of people who wear suits and strive to own the latest thing BMW models engaging with their corporate colleagues and shouting about how successful they are. There are many different types of car people who don’t have a business degree; My group of car enthusiasts call themselves the Car Gays, and we’re not impressed by bubbling tuned BMW 320i’s or fire-breathing Supras.
CBC News also interviewed Bailey Trap, a 38-year-old woman who opened a performance shop that rebuilds muscle cars, hot rods and pickup trucks. She argues that the study played on stereotypes, namely modified cars are forms of creative expression that allow people to express themselves like an extravagant outfit. However, Schermer said the groups Trap refers to represent a different population than the one she studied.
Although this study provides insight into the mindset of some car enthusiasts, it certainly cannot lead to a blanket categorization of the community as sadists and psychopaths. I will ask my therapist for his insight into this matter at my next court-ordered therapy session and perhaps even bring it up in my anonymous car enthusiast support group. For the people who get annoyed by scaring bystanders with your gurgling tune, please gargle responsibly and remember It’s illegal that your car is making excessive noise.