A new study has found that “macho men” are more dangerous drivers than less masculine dudes — and yes, there is now a scientific test for machismo.
The study’s laugh-a-minute EurekAlert press release reveals that “hyper-masculine drivers, often referred to as macho, were more likely to take risks in order to catch a car” in a simulator game administered by University of Montreal psychologists. But apparently “it was during interviews that a link between macho men and speed revealed itself.” Says study author Julie Langlois, “Some men develop a passion for driving that can verge on the obsessive. They consider cars to be an extension of themselves and they become extremely aggressive if they are honked at or cut off.”
Langlois and her team measured macho-ness using the sixty-point Auburn Differential Masculinity Inventory, which asks men how much they agree with statements like “men who cry are weak” and “generally speaking, men are more intelligent than women.” Men who strongly agreed with these questions were more likely to be risk-takers who viewed cars as “extensions of themselves” (insert boner joke here). So not only does this give the lie to the old stereotype that women are shitty drivers, it also suggests that guys who believe that stereotype may be shitty drivers themselves. Perhaps drivers’ ed classes should teach feminism too.
Study Finds Macho Men A Liability On Roads [EurekAlert]