How Music Affects Drivers:

Driving to a Different Beat

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G7 E-mail Postings on Music and Driving

In the previous generation, students shared thoughts on whether music affects driving. Many felt that it does indeed affect the way a person drives, which they concluded through their own experiences. In the discussion. Several ideas were expressed on how music affects a driver.
One idea brought up was whether the mere presence or absence of music made an influence. Three students felt that somehow the presence of music makes them more agitated and less relaxed than when the music is turned off. Mr. Sasabe mentioned:

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!

Also sharing in this idea were Mr. Miyoshi:

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!

and Cris Burlem:

I have been in the drivers frustration seat many a time as many of us have. My solution to claming 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?!?

One person felt just the opposite, and offered her own opinion. Instead of being a stimulant for aggressive feelings and behaviors, music was more of a kind of relaxant that helped to ease tension which can build while driving in traffic. Tami Hashimoto states:

I just wanted to respond to Marshall's message on how music affects my driving. When I'm driving, music makes me relaxed and clam. 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 a head of me. Music is an awesome way to relax when I'm driving.

Another idea that was thought to have great significance was the music itself. Many felt that it wasn't only the presence of music that made an impact, but mainly the type of music listened to. Ryan Shintani offers his own experience with driving to different types of music saying:

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 don't listen to rap so I don't know the effects of listening to this type of music.

He justifies his thoughts with studies done on the effects of different types of music played in malls and he mentions that:

It has been proven in studies that playing classical music in malls help to reduce the amount of violence to metal than to classical music. It has been proven in studies that playing of classical music in malls helps to reduce the amount of violence in these malls. It does this in two ways by mellowing or relaxing people and by staying away from a certain section of the community that causes a lot of the crimes.

Fellow classmate Wilfred Lee also agrees saying:

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 don't believe it, then try driving really fast with classical music. It just doesn't work. Maybe the solution is to make everyone listen to classical music. I did hear an interesting fact, babies in the womb become calm children when mothers listen to classical music. Maybe classical music is our solution???

Also, Web visitor Mary Ford, shares her experience with mellow music saying:

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.

It seems many people feel that fast-paced, upbeat music tend to make them more stimluated, while classical, soft-rock music make them more relaxed and calm. Web visitor Brian Haimerman offers his reason for why this may occur revealing:

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!

Mr. Miyoshi expresses similar thoughts, he 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 make us lose some of our senses. Just a thought for everyone to think about.

Still, one student countered their arguments by stating her own experience with listening to upbeat music while driving. Kristin Evert wrote:

After reading the little excerpt about music and driving behavior I really started to think about myself and my own driving. If all of this is right, I should technically be a VERY aggressive, speeding maniac on the road, because when I drive I like my music loud and usually fast-paced and "singable" (meaning I can sing along). Although I am no Ms. Perfection, I am more often times getting passed than doing the passing, as I usually try to stay no more than 10 mph over the speed limit.

I personally feel that each person has some validity to what they say. Music affects people in many different ways. The presence of music alone may make others more excited, while helping to calm others who would otherwise be nervous or agitated without it. I also believe that different types of music play a strong role in the way we react to it. For some people classical, mellow music is calming. For others, it may not matter whether it's classical or rock. Maybe the affect music has on people deals with the individual person's mood or disposition. For example, a person who is already tense or excited decides to listen to some upbeat music. I would highly guess that person would become even more excited and would probably engage in more risky driving behavior. But if the same person were to pop in some soft, soothing music... well, I doubt the driver would be coaxed into tailgating the car in front of him.
When I was a kid my mom rarely had the music on, while my dad did on occasion. That eventually changed as the years went by as my mom turned on the radio to catch up on news or to listen to light rock. My dad on the other hand always has the music on. (By the way, did I mention that my father drives like a maniac?!) My father is actually a mellow guy, but once he steps into his truck... well let's just say that he seems so nervous that it's enough to make every passenger riding with him want to hold on for dear life! My guess is that he listens to music to calm him, but really... I'm not so sure.
For myself, I like to drive with the music on because I find it relaxing... especially in traffic. It helps to keep my mind off the fact that I'm stuck there with no way out. Generally I listen to soft rock, mellow music... something I can sing to. I think it helps me to counter angry feelings towards drivers who cut in front of me or do other dangerous, and annoying things. I think it's because I'm put into a good mood and don't care what they're doing. Also, I'm too busy singing to bother with getting mad... and I'd like to add that it probably helps to control my breathing. As for the future, I'll probably continue listening to soft music... except when I'm sleepy because I'll probably end up falling asleep at the wheel.

Newsgroups on Music

Searching the newsgroups for discussions on music and driving were extremely exhausting... almost as much as looking for references through Uncover and ERIC! Eventually I did run into a few while using dejanews as my source. Here are a few I thought might be interesting to read:

Subject: Music - effect on driving and temperament
From: Mr Devo
Date: 1998/03/25
Message-ID: <35185EC1.943EF0F1@cosmos.net.au>
Newsgroups: aus.cars
[More Headers]
I recall having heard anecdotal 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.
 My Comments:
I thought that this was interesting because this person shares the view that music does affect driving. What I'm more interested in however, is the idea that the type of music may play a role in how the driver feels and how the driver responds to the music. In that sense, the driver's response to the music may influence how he/she acts as a driver.

Subject: Re: Music - effect on driving and temperament
From: free@mechanical.advice.site (Jack Stands)
Date: 1998/03/25
Message-ID: <35186b9a.1684143@news.ozemail.com.au>
Newsgroups: aus.cars
[More Headers]

Anecdotal would be right. It depends on how you feel about the music. I drive 250km per day around town working. Commercial radio is out cause it has stupid ads and that drives me to a frustration that NO music could achieve no matter how bad. An apparently good advert could never come close to a shit song let alone a good one. You get others who would gladly do hurts harm to a radio playing seventies disco, funk. I think that perhaps radar love or highway to hell would not have a calming effect on driving. My point is that this music is that you like. Do anything that you don't like while driving and I am sure you will get stressed out. And the point is listen to whatever you like if you like it.
On Wed, 25 Mar 1998 11:32:50 +1000, Mr Devo wrote:
>I recall having heard anecdotal 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.
 My Comments:
Jack Stands elaborates more on the idea about music and music type, more importantly how each person feels about the music. His idea is that it doesn't matter what type of music you listen to while driving. What matters is how you react, whether it's positively or negatively. As long as you are put into a positive mood, the kind of music you listen to isn't important. I agree with this idea, but I also feel that there is more to music and driving than simply how you feel about the music.

Subject: Re: Music - effect on driving and temperament
From: "Tim Archer"
Date: 1998/03/25
Message-ID: <01bd57b2$b81dd540$14e14e81@client-83.stpauls.usyd.edu.au>
Newsgroups: aus.cars
[More Headers]

Jack Stands wrote:
Mr Devo wrote:
>Anecdotal would be right. It depends on how you feel about the music. I drive 250km >per day around town working. Commercial radio is out cause it has stupid ads and >that drives me to a frustration that NO music could achieve no matter how bad. An >apparently good advert could never come close to a shit song let alone a good one.
I agree 100% here. Also, commercial radio stations have pathetic DJs that just babble on and on and on with advertising crap.
>You get others who would gladly do hurts harm to a radio playing seventies disco, >funk. I think that perhaps radar love or highway to hell would not have a calming effect >on driving.
Well I don't know that _Highway to Hell_ could be called 70s disco or funk. ;-)
>My point is that this music is that you like. Do anything that you don't like while >driving and I am sure you will get stressed out. And the point is listen to whatever you >like if you like it.
I find that I listen to music according to my mood. Not the other way around. i.e: the music I listen to doesn't determine my mood. I can also feel perfectly relaxed listening to loud/fast music.
>>I recall having heard anecdotal evidence that seventies and classical music is the >>most appropriate to play when driving.
I don't know about that... Get a copy of _Ode to Joy_, crank it up in your car and you'll know what I mean. Much classical music (orchestral stuff and operas, anyway) is intended to be stirring, and certainly does not induce a "serene" mood!
Tim

My Comments:
In Tim Archer's response, he states that his perception of music and mood is that mood determines what type of music he listens to. What I'd like to add to this idea is that because many people listen to music in accordance to their mood, they should take that information into account to help them become better drivers. This self-awareness will allow drivers to know what types of music are best to listen to while driving, when they are experiencing different moods.
As for Web Sites dealing with music, I haven't really found anything addressing the kinds of affects music has on drivers. One site I found that dealt with music and driving is actually a music dealer. Hands On Music, Inc. boasts newly engineered music created for the "driving experience." Although the type of music is not specified, and the type of experience achieved while listening to the cd's are not stated, it does mention that the music was specifically made for the automobile and to match the mood of the "enthusiastic driver." My guess is that the music was designed to pump the driver up. Would that be a good thing? I'm not so sure. Unless studies show for a fact that the type of music does not affect driving , I would have to say... save riveting music for home or for the clubs.



Looking at Earlier Generations' Reports on Music and Driving

Browsing through the generations on traffic psychology, I found virtually nothing on music and driving... or anything remotely near it. Obviously this is still virtually a new topic, of which is only now being scratched upon by my generation in traffic psychology. However, I did click on to the Site Indexes for the Online Generational Curriculum, and decided to browse through those as well. Using the CSS Search on Dr. James' site, I looked up the words "music and driving" from Psychology - Generational Curriculum - Part 5. From there, I browsed through the articles, linking on to anything that seemed interesting. I found 2 reports that made some reference to music, one by Ross Simafranca of G3, and the other by Sheldon Tawata of G2.
In Ross' Driving Makeover report, he made a small reference to music and how it might affect his driving. His idea was that the type of music listened to while driving makes a difference on how emotionally, aggressively, and fast a person will drive. His personal experience with music shows him that listening to the loud, alternative, grunge type makes him more reckless, drive faster, and get more angry at other drivers who play road games. On the other hand, he finds that listening to classical music affects him in just the opposite.
In Sheldon Tawata's Driving Makeover report he expresses similar thoughts about how music affects his driving, but goes into more detail. His idea is that traffic causes tension to build within him, which he must counter with thoughts of the "worst case scenario" to either prepare him for what may come, or even better what is not happening, so that the drive becomes more pleasant. But on the days that these thoughts don't work, or become too outrageous that he becomes even more unsafe while driving, he listens to good music to lessen his aggression. His idea of good music is more soft-rock, with "mystical lyrics about nature, life, and women." Music he avoids altogether while driving are "head banging, speed driven, angry heavy metal music."


Rothe's View on the Psychology of Music and Driving

In the book Challenging the Old Order by J.P. Rothe, the topic of music and driving fall into a couple of chapters. One chapter relates to the individual driver, the other focuses on the media.
In chapter 4 of the text, the main objective is to understand that there are barriers to increased safety on the highways, and in order to help overcome them we need to look at ourselves and play our individual parts. According to economists Lester and Charles Lave, two types of barriers exist: macro-barriers and micro-barriers. Macro-barriers are collective judgements made by individuals for the good of society, e.g: state of Hawaii passes law to require the use of seat belts. Micro-barriers are individual judgements, e.g: driver takes a U-turn at a no U-turn intersection. Problems at the macro level concern individuals who support decisions intended to help society, but do not follow through with these ideas themselves. Also, the idea with which our society is based upon, individual freedom, decreases compliance. At the micro level, our own personal decisions prevent us from increased highway safety. These personal barriers are attributed to ignorance, risk perception, and contradictory objectives.
The way in which music is tied into this chapter is that it focuses on the individual's perception of what he/she can and has the right to do, and by the decisions made of what actions he/she will take. A good driver is often one who has a strong awareness of himself/herself, and knows when and when not to do certain things. If a person is drunk, he/she will know not to drive. Therefore, if a driver knows that he/she reacts negatively to loud music, then he/she should not play loud music while driving, so as not to increase their chance of engaging in risky driving behaviors.
In chapter eight of the text, the main idea is to understand the effects of the media. The idea of the media being an influence on people, is a controversial one. Some say that the media does affect us psychologically, and others maintain the that we as humans have the ability and understanding to choose what we do despite the media. My belief is that the media does have some effect on it's audience, and it would be wrong to rule it out completely. One example I can think of would be the sprite commercial on the radio. Opponents of the idea would say that it doesn't really affect people's choices for soda. But I'd like to mention that you don't see too many people drinking up the generic brand of lemon lime drink, that probably tastes the same and costs less. The main point is that although the media may not affect us directly, it probably does so indirectly. When looking at the topic of music, you could say that as a type of media it can have an indirect influence on drivers and their passengers. The type of music, the beat and rhythm, the lyrics... all of which can have some kind of impact.


References

While searching through the Uncover and ERIC journal databases, I found nothing under "music and driving." I then tried a different strategy and searched under words like "music effects" and "mood." I found several journal articles on the topic of music and how it affects adolescents and college students. My idea is that the key to understanding how music affects driver is to understand how it affects the person as a whole.

Stratton, V. & Zalanowski, A. The effects of music and cognition on mood. Psychology of Music. 1991, 19(2), 121.

Abed, F. Effects of mood music of visual scanning patterns. International Journal of Instructional Media. 1990, 17(1), 29.

Arnett, J. J. & others. Beyond effects: adolescents as active media users. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 1995, 25(5), 511-518.
 -emphasis is on how people make choices about the media they choose and how they differ in their interpretations of the media content.

Ballard, M. E., & Coates, S. The immediate effects of homicidal, suicidal, and nonviolent heavy metal and rap songs on the moods of college students. Youth and Society. 1995, 27(2), 148-168.
-the study is done on male undergrads (164 students), who complete mood inventories after listening to a number of songs. Important results found were that there were no effects of these songs on suicidal ideation, anxiety, or self-esteem. Also, rap songs elicit more angry responses than heavy metal songs.

Strasburger, V. C. Adolescence and the media: medical and psychological impact. Developmental Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry. 1995, 33, 144.
 -reviews effects of media on adolescent behavior and psychology. One of the many topics discussed that is central to our topic is Rock music and Music video's.

Giles, M. M. A little background music, please. Principal. 1991, 71(2), 41-44.
 -study finds that background music played for grade school children at different times of the day are beneficial. In the morning can help to start the day pleasant, during the lunch hour to help relax and calm students, and in the mid afternoon to help as a pick-up for tired and bored children. Also important is that students aren't overly excited as with loud and jarring music.

Comparing My Report to Others

Looking at the reports done by my classmates, I'm amazed at how much they've done. Being a relatively new topic for the Generations Curriculum, it was pretty difficult trying to figure out what to do and where to begin. I thought everyone's page had something unique to offer and the information shared was definitely valuable. I must say that from the ones I looked at, each person's report varied in the way they interpreted and presented their material. That was good because it showed me other venues I could use to find similar information. In Ryan Shintani's Report for example, he used Excite and Altavista to search the web and usenet for sites and discussions on music and driving. I haven't used them myself, but it gives me another option for future reports.
Another report I looked at is by Holly Ishikawa. One thing I liked about her report is that she related the three main area's of traffic behavior (affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor domains), to the feelings, thoughts and behaviors discussed by students. Because this is a psychology course, it is important to keep in mind these concepts as they are present in every driving behavior. She presented her report in a format similar to her other reports, and though she opted to keep her background white her use of font colors made her main points easy to detect. I also liked how she added the jukebox icons for aesthetic as well as symbolic value.




Conclusion

One thing I definitely need to express is that for those who haven't really searched the web... it is an enormous mass of information and that a lot of time and patience is needed to find what you are looking for. Many times the material that you are given will not pertain to your topic, or will be vaguely related. All I can say is to start early, and to use different search engines when searching. I wish there was another way to search through and sift out all the articles that are irrelevant, but at this time I don't know of any. Someone should work on that... maybe they'll get some money for it.
Basically, most of the students who have researched this topic agree that music does have an effect on driving. For future generations expanding on this topic, I think it would be interesting if they could find out whether mood and disposition do play a part in the way drivers interpret and respond to certain types of music. If so, in what way do certain types of music affect certain types of moods, to create different reactions and responses. For example, would heavy metal music make a tense person more likely to engage in risk taking behaviors? Or, would mellow music make a sleepy person less alert? The answers may sound obvious, but until researched they won't be thought of as being true.


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