Jayson Nakasone/Psy459/S99/G11- Music and Driving

Report #2:

Music and Driving: What Rocks Your World

Instructions for this Report	Summary	My History with Music	CSS engine and Site Indexes
Refer to Rothe	My impressions

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!

Mr. Miyoshi (G7) 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 definite answer.
     +++++

Mr. Shintani (G7) 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 don't listen to rap so I don't know the effects of listening to this
     type of music.

     I really think that some music causes bad driving behavior than others. I can see people
     being more aggressive after listening to heavy metal then to classical music. I has been
     proven in studies that playing of classical music in malls helps to reduce the amount to
     violence in metal than to classical music. I has been proven in studies that playing of
     classical music in malls helps to reduce the amount to violence in these malls. I do 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.

Web visitor Brian Haimerman wrote by e-mail: (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!

Kristin Evert (G7) 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.

Web visitor Mary Ford wrote:
     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.

Tami Hashimoto (G7) 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 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.

Cris Burlem (G7) wrote:
     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?!?

Wilfred Lee (G7) 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 don't believe it, then
     ever tried 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????

     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 be a
     possible solution for the commuters to school?

Summary of Excerpts:

In the preceding excerpts, the individuals involved are talking about the various ways in which they
have had reactions to music while driving. There also some examples of how not listening to music
affects some individuals better than music itself. They all came to the same conclusion that music or
lack thereof affected their driving skills.

Volume of Music:

First, Mr. Sasabe discussed his reaction of speeding in correlation to the volume and genre of music
he listened to while driving. Mr. Shintani, Brian Haimerman, and Wilfred Lee wrote in agreement with
this fact. Mr. Haimerman even gave physiological evidence to this point.

Tempo of Music:

I agree with this issue. Many times I have seen people listening to high tempo music tend to do things
in a more aggressive and urgent manner. This may lead to frustration at slower people and the road
rage that follows. The tempo of music highly contributes to how hyper and excited you get.

Slower Music:

Another issue brought up is similar to the first, but it relates to slower music. Kristin Evert brings up
the point that slow music could make her sleepy. Mr. Shintani brings up the point that the playing of
classical music helps to reduce the amount of violence when played in malls. Mary Ford wrote that
she listens to slower music to mellow herself out. Tami Hashimoto writes that music helps her mellow
out, but she neglects to mention what type of music does that. Wilfred Lee brings up the point that it
is difficult to drive fast while listening to classical music. He also points out an interesting fact he
heard, that babies in the womb become calmer when when mothers listen to classical music.

I agree with some of what people wrote, but I also believe that some of their information is
misleading. If I am irritated when I get into my car, some Hawaiian or reggae music will mellow me
out, but it won't make me sleepy. Classical music tends to make me mellow, but it also irritates me.
In general, slower music does affect attitudes while driving, but it is unique to each individual the
extent of the music's power.

Turning it Off :

Mr. Sasabe also brought up the point of having the radio off leading to a meditative state. This goes
along to the fact that louder, faster music causes more aggressive driving. Mr. Miyoshi and Cris
Burlem also agree that turning off the music helps.

To a point I agree with this issue. I do think that music helps me to clear my mind while driving, but
then I start thinking about other things. This tends to distract me from my driving, which can cause an
accident. In addition, when I don't listen to music while driving, I tend to dwell on whatever emotions
I am feeling at the time. If I am angry, I just think about how angry I am. If I am tired, I just get more
tired. Most people turn their radio's off when they do not want to hear music, so I can understand
why the people above write that not listening to music leads to a meditative state in them.

My History with Music:

I have always listened to music as far as I can remember. I use to listen to pop and rock, I guess anything my sisters had or my mom had. Only when I started to save money and realize how much music meant to me, I started to buy the music I liked. Today I listen to a lot of reggae, hawaiian, r&b, and I just started listening to alternative. The variety gives me different meanings in life and puts me in different moods.

CSS engine and Site Indexes ( Some insights on Music and Driving):

There are many topics that we can refer to on newsgroups, so that's where I went to get some more information on this topic of music and driving. First of all, I'd like to make mention of Ms. Nakagawa's report. She makes mention of the site that she went to in which she found very interesting.
I have gone to Dr. James' CSS engine and Site Indexes where I have found some insightful results. For example, "The Oahu Traffic Safety Council Traffic Psychology Handout," has listed some very interesting tips on driving while listening to the radio. For instance, it asks the question, "Is your radio playing too loud?" and then goes on to give advice such as, "Have a heart. Fill it with love for your neighbor." In other words, it is suggesting that loud music is not only a distracting stimulus to the one that's driving, but can also be distracting to other drivers around them.
I do find it to be distracting when I hear another car with their volume turned all the way up with the bass pumping so loud. It gets me distracted because I start to look around to see who it is making me not concentrate on the road.

Refer to Rothe

In chapter 4 of Rothe, he points out some of the risk taking behaviors that we do while driving. This chapter can relate to this topic of "music and driving." For example, I often find myself doing "out of the ordinary" driving stunts when I listen to certain types of music (rock and roll for instance), making my driving hazardous to myself and others. Music can effect one's judgment while driving, and I find that a lot of risk taking is involved.

My findings on ERIC and Uncover database

Howitt, Dennis; Dembo, Richard. A Sub cultural Account of Media Effects Human Relations; 27, 1, 25-42, Jan 74. 1974

Malfetti, James L.; Winter, Darlene J.. Drivers 55 Plus: Test Your Own Performance. A Self Rating Form of Questions, Facts and Suggestions for Safe Driving.

Greenberg, Bradley S.; Wotring, C. Edward. Television Violence and Its Potential for Aggressive Driving Behavior Journal of Broadcasting; 18, 4, 473-480, F 74. 1974

Riera, Michael. Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. Celestial Arts 1995

Bell, Fred. How to Keep Your Teenage Driver Alive. PTA Today; v8 n4 p21-22 Feb. 1983. 1983

Stephens, Diane; And Others. Assessment and Decision Making in Schools: A Cross-Site Analysis. Technical Report No. 614. .

The Mood of American Youth. Based on a 1983 Survey of American Youth. Publications, National Association of Secondary School Principals, 1904 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091 ($5.00).

Smith, Donna Ridley, Comp.. Popular Music: A Selected Bibliography of Materials in the California State University, Sacramento Library. Second Edition. Bibliographic Series No. 22. .

Brenton, Myron. The Older Person's Guide to Safe Driving. Public Affairs Pamphlet No. 641.

Shields, Steven O.; Ogles, Robert M.. The Contribution of "Around the Dial" to American Music Radio Announcing Culture.

My summary of these findings: I've found that, although most journal articles didn't specifically deal with "music and driving," it does give us some sense of how it can relate to driving and listening to music at the same time.

My impressions of other students on "music and driving"

Everybody has pretty good insights and different uses for their music and driving. I guess it's hard to say if there's really a way to know if music causes behavior or does behavior/mood choose the music? It's something I would like to see in future generations doing this report.