HOW MUSIC AFFECTS DRIVERS
Instructions for
this report
Table of Contents E-Mail Postings (G7/459 students): Mr. Sasabe Mr.
Miyoshi Mr. Shintani Ms. Tomooka Kristin Evert Tami Hashimoto Cris Burlem Wilfred Lee Results
from Usenet & the Web Conclusion
E-MAIL POSTINGS (G7/459 students)
Mr. Sasabe (G7) wrote:
I got caught speeding twice in my life and both of the times it was because I was
listening to the music in my car and did not realize how fast I was going. Maybe it’s
all about the "training" that Dr. James has been talking about, but when my
favorite music comes out, I just lose myself.
On a different day, I was driving and realized that music was off. It was a bit of surprise because I was so calm and relaxed that it was almost like I was meditating. So I recommend that you guys sometimes stop listening to the music in your car. It’s really different!
My Reactions:
Mr. Sasabe’s account shows the effect that music can have on driving. It is
interesting that when we feel comfortable behind the wheel, we feel that we are capable of
talking on cellular phones, listening to loud music, putting on makeup and doing things
other than focusing 100% on driving. Not only do we need to drive our car, but we need to
be aware of other cars and traffic. If music is distracting then hearing music that we
like must be even more distracting. I’m sure it’s possible to drive and listen
to music as long as the music is not driving. Mr. Sasabe’s reaction when realizing
the music in the car wasn’t on and actually found it meditative was interesting. I
think that most people probably find it automatic to get into the car and turn on the
radio (or the radio is already on) before beginning to drive. Some people used to hearing
music in the car probably think it peculiar or too quiet when the radio is not on. Mr.
Sasabe’s point is that not having the radio on may allow for our complete attention
to be focused on driving and may actually make the driving experience more relaxing.
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Mr. Miyoshi wrote:
This is also something that I have been thinking about while taking this class. Does
rock music make us more aggressive and slow methodical music make us a better driver. It
is interesting because rock music makes our hearts beat faster and that might get our
adrenaline flowing and made us lose some of our senses. Just a thought for everyone to
think about.
I know what Akira is talking about. Once in a while someone turns off the music in my car before I get in and when I realize that it is off it surprises me. I find myself almost in a meditative state when the radio is off. I am more calm and am able to control my feelings more!
I think that this could work both ways. I think that if you listen to a station that you don’t like but doesn’t show views that you are strongly against or go totally against your values then this will work. If you just don’t like the Dj’s or music then that's fine. However if you listen to a station that gets you upset and deals with touchy situations or points then you could get more aggressive on the road and other things that drivers do may upset you more. I think I will have to try this before I give a difinite answer.
My Reactions:
Rock music enjoyed by some may create that adrenaline rush and cause faster driving.
However, that same effect may be created by classical music. Hearing favorite classical
music may also elicit a similar rush of excitement. I do think though that music with a
faster and desirable beat can initiate faster driving. I feel that music affects all of us
in different ways and that it depends on how important music is.
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Mr. Shintani wrote:
I really think that music has an effect on the way a person drives. When I want to
drive fast I play a CD that has a powerful or past beat. My favorite is the Top Gun sound
track. If I want to relax while driving I would put in a mellow CD like Kalapana or some
type of soft rock. I dont listen to rap so I dont know the effects of listening to this
type of music.
My Reactions:
I agree with Mr. Shintani that music can have an effect on driving. I would wonder though
if certain music can make a driver more alert or if certain music is distracting. I think
though that our reactions to the music has a lot to do with how or if our driving will be
affected. It is interesting that when some hear a song that they like, they turn up the
radio. So, safety wise, the correlation between desired music and volume is important. I
think that it is illegal to play music in your car that can be heard from a certain
distance. It would be interesting to know if certain levels of music (rock, heavy metal,
classical, pop) has different effects or stimulates particular parts of the brain and what
if any aspects of music causes distractions.
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Web Visitor Brian Haimerman wrote (November 1997):
I want to thank Dr. James & Mr. Shintani for the feedback. At this time I am taking
a History of Rock and Roll class and am learning of the effect that rock music has in our
psyche. We are basically talking about how we listen to music. The Affective, Cognitive,
Psycho-motor, and Transpersonal. It is almost like a psychology class. So far like I said
in my last message, music does affect our psycho-physical. The loudness and the beat play
the biggest part. It has a direct effect on our hearts. Notice why younger people like
loud beating music. It is because it causes our heart beats to go faster and our blood
pressure to rise. For us it is enjoyable but for older people it is a big no no! The more
I learn the more I’ll tell you about it!
My Reactions:
Brian looks more at the physiological effect of music on the body and how this can affect
our driving. Similar to what I wrote earlier, loudness correlates with how much we are
enjoying the song. I have to agree though that this is primarily done by younger people,
because as we get older, we realize that music doesn’t have to be loud to be enjoyed.
However, I have to admit that sometimes when I hear a song that I haven’t heard for a
long time, a song that I used to listen to loudly, I may turn the volume up. Probably when
I was younger I may have had a tendency to drive according to the music I was listening
to, if it was music that I liked. Now, I enjoy music but not loudly and not to where my
driving speed alters. I’m not certain it’s because of the music, but I have
noticed that when driving with others is that certain music creates more or less patience
and irritability.
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Kristin Evert wrote:
After reading the little excerp about music and driving behavior I really started to
think about myself and my own driving. If all this is right, I should technically be a
VERY aggressive, speeding maniac on the road, because when I drive I like music loud and
usually fast-paced and "singable" (meaning I can sing along). Although I am no
Ms. Perfection, I am more often time getting passed than doing the passing, as I usually
try to stay no more than 10 mph over the speed limit.
On the other hand, however, I could see how slow sappy music could make me sleepy, even if I like the song. Hmmm...
My Reactions:
Kristin’s comment is also a good indication that there are other aspects to consider
when researching the effects of music on driving. Of course it will affect certain ages
differently. Similar to what was mentioned in the previous comment, we rarely see older
adults listening to music loudly. I think that a lot has to do with age and how much
importance we apply to music. As I recall, when I was younger, I was more interested in
knowing lyrics and I had favorite songs. Perhaps when we are younger listening to music is
more of a pastime and perhaps a hobby. Now, music is just a means of erasing the silence
when I have to drive from point A to B. Actually, now I sometimes prefer silence because I
rarely have it. But, I’m sure that when I was younger, I wouldn’t have dreamed
of needing or wanting silence.
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Web Visitor Mary Ford wrote (November 1997):
After reading your site, I’ve realized that I’ve become much more aggressive
in my personality as I’ve gotten older. Is this a normal phenomena? By more
aggressive, I mean I speak up and assert myself, and in the car -- well I’ve never
got a ticket, but I do admit, I swear -- not good. I was aware of my tension in the car,
so for several years now I’ve used a melodious tape to mellow myself out when
I’m driving -- Rain Melody, beautiful flute music, Ghandharva Veda music (supposed to
bring harmony into the atmosphere). It seems to work for me.
My Reactions:
It is interesting that Mary found herself to react more aggressively and now that she does
that needs the soothing music to calm her aggressions. Calming tapes are useful in many
situations, especially in anxious situations. Therefore, calming tapes should have the
same usefulness for driving.
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Tami Hashimoto wrote:
I just wanted to respond to marshall’s message on how music affects my driving.
When I’m driving, music makes me relaxed and calm. I feel that when I’m driving
in traffic the music that I listen to helps me to feel less anxious and frustrated.
I’m able to tolerate more unsafe drivers by letting them get ahead of me. Music is an
awesome way to relax when I’m driving.
My Reactions:
Ms. Hashimoto’s posting supports the idea that music affects driving and that music
affects drivers differently. She didn’t discuss whether certain types of music elicit
certain types of driving. It would be interesting to know what aspect of the music she
listens to when driving that is calming and relaxing to her. Perhaps just having music in
the background while driving is calming because it doesn’t allow for reacting to
every small detail that can be irritating.
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Cris Burlem wrote:
I have been in the drivers seat frustration many a time as many of us have. My solution
to calming down is actually the opposite. I find that by turning off the radio I am able
to relax when I am in an uptight mood to begin with. I find that turning off the radio
helps me concentrate on the road and what is going on. It is at these times that I think
music actually irritates me?!?
My Reactions:
Everyone has their own way of calming down in frustrating situations and some people find
that after a rough day at work, they enjoy going home to quiet whereas others prefer some
sort of relaxing music in the background. The same notion can be applied to driving. What
usually calms people in other situations would be useful for calming while driving. I do
feel however, that we each have our individual ways of diffusing or avoiding frustration.
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Wilfred Lee wrote:
I definitely agree that music has a role in how you drive. Fast music, and loud music,
makes you more excited, and makes your heart pump faster. In turn making you drive faster.
Slow music relaxes you and you get more mellow. If you dont believe it, then ever tried
driving really fast with classical music. I did hear an interesting fact, babies in the
womb become more calm children when mothers listen to classical music. Maybe classical
music is our solution????
I’m a townie so I consider myself fortunate. I live in Kahala so I drive for 5 minutes and get to school. I often ask my friend that has to drive from Pearl City to get to school by 8 how he does it. He just says he has to deal with it and has accepted it as part of his life. What I did to try to alleviate his road rage is make a tape of his favorite songs. My theory is when he listens to his favorite songs then he doesn’t notice the traffic as much, and time passes by more quickly. I sing (sometimes) in the car. That makes the time fly by faster. I also enjoy it and it takes my mind off the congested road. Could this possible solution for the commuters to school?
My Reactions:
I guess the thing about alleviating road rage is to know that there are drivers out there
that will make us rage. I agree with Wilfred that music does have a role in how we
drive and that louder more aggressive music may tend to create more excitement. How some
people like their favorite music loud, classical music fans may also like their favorite
songs loud because not all classical music is calming. But I do agree that some classical
music is probably the most calming type of music. I don’t think that it will have the
same calming effect on everyone who listens to it. It will probably help in relaxing those
who enjoy the music and find it a soothing source of relieving stress.
RESULTS FROM USENET & THE WEB:
Searching the web I found several postings from DejaNews regarding opinions about music and driving. Most support the idea that music does affect driving behavior.
Oldies Are Goodies:
Subject: Music’s affect on driving
I recall having heard anectodal evidence that seventies and classical music is the most appropriate to play when driving. I had been listening to seventies music for several years prior to this snippet of information, and in my experience, seventies music, especially 1976-1979 disco, some soul and funk has proven to be the most relaxing. Techno "drives" me insane. That relentless thumping, racing heart and adrenalin, ideal for the racecourse, deadly on the public roads.
Since music means different things to people, it will have different impacts on them. For those who feel music is not that important probably does not let it affect their driving behavior and would most likely find music a distraction. However, those who find music to be entertainment probably have favorite types of music and songs. This could either ease or intensify the anxiety of a driving situation. This would depend on the type of music, our reaction to it and the loudness.
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Car Driving Tunes
DMB Car Driving Tunes
Herwin Bautista (herwin@pegasus.rutgers.edu)
Tue, 8 Oct 96 11:44:12 EDT
•Messages sorted by:[ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
Just a curious topic. I'm a guy who's really into mood music and loves playing
certain songs at certain times. In my vehicle, there's a couple of DMB songs that
I just love listening to. Nothing better than listening to Warehouse and Two Step
on the highway. Songs like BOWA and SMTS are great songs to kick off a night on
the road. Satellite is a great night driving song. Jimi thing for lighting that...
cigarette :). Seek up is another good night driving song. Ants when your pumped.
Any of Dave's love songs when your working it with that special someone (LLD,
CITM, 41, GRANNY, GOODBYE) And one of my new favorites when I'm just totally
shwagged out and pissed off: Rhyme&Reason. Isn't DMB just a phenomenol band. Their
music is just so universal, in applying to so many facets of life. That's when you
know the music you listen is quality. Anyway, thanks for reading my ramble. If
your a mood music kinda person, reply with some of yours, I'd find it a treat.
Keep me floating,
Herwin
Herwin’s posting supports that the importance of music correlates with how it affects situations and moods. This is a very good example that music affects moods and therefore possibly affects driving behavior. Even in Herwin’s everyday life, he finds certain songs appropriate for certain situations. He listens to particular types of music, depending on his mood. I do not know however what types of music he is referring to, but I suppose it doesn’t matter because he chose these specific songs to “kick off a night on the road” and for when he is “shwagged out and pissed off.” To Herwin, the music he enjoys is “universal” because there is a song that can apply to every aspect of his life. Perhaps when he’s having a bad day, a good song can help ease the stress.
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“Blood Rush”
Subject: Re: Driving women-a public danger
From: "Tim Archer"
<arche_tr@eelab.usyd.edu.au>
Date: 1998/04/04
Message-ID: <01bd5fdf$12b772c0$14e14e81@client-83.stpauls.usyd.edu.au>
Newsgroups: aus.cars
[More Headers]
Ben Wilson <ben.wilson@xxx.uq.net.au> wrote
> Females, while maybe
> not quite as good a driver as their average male counterparts, stay
> within their limitations and I would say are less likely to have a
> "blood rush" to the head on the road.
Yeah - good point there about the blood rush. I get that myself, whether
it's music I'm playing, or a particularly enticing turn of road, or just
the mood that I happen to be in.
Sometimes I am fighting my will and agression, to stay sensible and just
cruise along like everybody else. Women rarely, if ever, have this
problem. I guess it's a hormone thing for guys.
Tim
Though this posting may also apply to gender differences in driving, I wanted to point out Tim’s reference to music as his reason for aggressive driving. While his point of view is to criticize women’s driving, he feels that women are less likely to acquire the “blood rush.” The “rush” seems to mean road rage and Tim feels that it could have something to do with the music he’s playing.
CONCLUSION
We all have feelings regarding the driving behaviors we witness but when you start to
explore explanations for certain elements that may affect that behavior, we are studying a
new dimension of behavior. Since the combination of music and driving is not a
widely explored topic, the research was difficult. The most successful findings were
in the newsgroups. There were a lot of opinions regarding what music was best for
driving, but not much on the affects of music on driving behavior. Rather, the
subject of most postings had to do with the best type of music to choose for long drives,
freeway driving and late night driving. Most drivers seem to choose what they feel
to be appropriate music for certain situations.
Mining the Generational Curriculum
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