A scientific study has revealed that drivers are at their absolute happiest when driving a convertible car with the roof down.
The study, performed by Fiat in partnership with associate professor of driver behaviour at Cranfield University and founder of PsyDrive, Dr. Lisa Dorn, found that driving a topless car improves alertness by up to 15%, increases happiness by up to 19%, and reduces stress by up to 32%.
The research involved 23 participants comprising 10 females and 13 males, who were required to drive solo in two short journeys, one with the roof up and one with the roof down, on a pre-planned quiet rural road.
Before the tests, driving style was measured for each participant using the Driver Stress Inventory, to see if they were pre-disposed to aggression or thrill-seeking behind the wheel.
While performing the tasks, they wore a chest band electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure their heart rate, and completed a Mood Questionnaire before and after that included four subscales:
- Anger and Frustration (AN)
- Hedonic Tone (HT)
- Energetic Arousal (EA)
- Tense Arousal (TA)
Thereafter, a parametric analysis of the results was performed to investigate whether there was a significant difference in mood and heart rate variability (HRV) across the two conditions compared with baseline measures.
It also considered whether driving style as measured via the Driver Stress Inventory was associated with mood and HRV differences across the different driving conditions.
The findings
The study revealed that when the roof was down, all drivers experienced an increase of at least 6% in happiness, with the biggest impact felt by the more aggressive participants, who were recorded as experiencing a 20% uplift in their mood.
Moreover, going topless saw stress levels reduced by a maximum of 32%, “suggesting that drivers having greater contact with their driving environment and the wind in their hair could improve their well-being,” said Dorn.
Convertible driving may also lead to safer driving, as drivers showed up to 15% increased alertness and 20% lower levels of negative emotions including frustration or anger, which can be linked to road rage.
“Positive mood (both neutral and/or happy) is associated with improved driving performance, visual attention, and faster hazard response,” according to the PsyDrive founder.
When taking gender into account, both men and women saw a “near-equal and significant increase” in Energetic Arousal when the roof was collapsed, meaning they were equally alert on the road.
However, females in general reported a stronger impact of driving on their energy levels.
An increase in Energetic Arousal means drivers are more alert and situationally aware, making them potentially perform better on the road.
“When driving with the top down in a convertible we experience greater levels of feedback from the road environment. In these circumstances, our data shows that this creates a sort of open-air euphoria that makes us feel physically and psychologically better, and possibly even drive more safely,” said Dorn.
“Mood when driving will clearly fluctuate depending on a variety of factors impacting the driver, vehicle, and road conditions. However, this study showed a significant effect that suggests, with repeated exposure, motorists could see health-related benefits of driving a convertible over time.”
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