Volvo study proves the obvious....
... That beautiful cars invoke strong emotional responses in malesMost males know the feeling. The excitement one feels when ogling the perfect shape, appreciating beautiful proportions or admiring elegance skin surface.
You know, when you’re unable to do anything but stare and maybe even drool at the rear-end, the hips, the curves and perhaps even the face when they all come together to form a thing of splendour, a work of art.
Yes, the beautiful, exotic and desirable car is truly a thing of loveliness.
Volvo Car Group, in conjunction with Myndplay, has carried out a “world-first” experiment that proves what motor heads around the world already know -- that gorgeous automotive designs can elicit strong positive emotions, especially in men.
London-based Myndplay, an expert in the field of electroencephalography (brain activity), asked participants to rate a series of different images while it measured brainwave activity to determine emotional responses to certain stimuli.
The experiment, conducted to coincide with the launch of the new Volvo Concept Coupe, showed images of the concept car the Swedish company’ unveiled ahead of September’s Frankfurt motor show, as well as other good-looking cars, older car designs and pictures of happy or crying babies and attractive men and women.
The results of the experiment concluded that men were more moved emotionally when looking at a beautiful car than seeing a crying child.
Additionally, almost three quarters of the men who participated said that a good car design made them feel positive and that 60 per cent of them claimed they feel more confident and empowered when driving a beautiful car.
These findings perpetuate the long-held belief that males in sports cars could indeed be attempting to overcompensate for certain shortcomings.
However, these outcomes were severely limited to men, as only a third of the women who participated in the experiment rated a beautifully designed car higher than an attractive man.
When it comes to cars then, men tend to think with their hearts rather than their heads. So maybe, when the time comes for a man to buy a new car, he would be better off sending his wife or girlfriend to the dealer to pick out the practical, economical and eco-friendly hatchback he needs – or else risk making endless repayments on a hopelessly one-dimensional, fuel guzzling Ferrari.
Unless, of course, the car dealer happens to be an attractive male, in which case the wife or girlfriend may not come home at all and that Ferrari could indeed make up for those emotional shortcomings said male might now be suffering.
In addition to EEG readings, a survey was also conducted by OnePoll that revealed 43 per cent of men prefer the shape and design of a car over its interior, gadgets, wheels or engine.
That means almost half of the men surveyed felt the most important feature of a car is on the surface, not what’s inside. Sorry ladies.
Senior Vice-President Design at Volvo Cars, Thomas Ingenlath, said: “Beautiful car design can elicit strong emotional responses ranging from a positive frame of mind to a sense of empowerment”.
As motoring enthusiasts, we can all attest to this and now we have the scientific evidence to prove it.
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