Me & my love machine

I came across an article in the Times this morning - Me and my love machine obviously I was intrigued... we men and our cars! The article segmented the populous into a few rudimentary buckets... interesting reading.

INSTRUMENTALISTS

Often have names for their cars.

Tolerate failings or idiosyncracies in cars.

Subconsciously believe that cars respond in an emotional rather than a rational way.

Are affectionate about a car’s failings, but can be frightened that they are not in control of the technology.

Tend to prefer cars that cater for different needs at the same time; for example, sporty saloons.

EXPRESSIVES

See cars as a tool to explore their competence.

Drive at high speed when the opportunity presents.

Regard journeys as a test of man and machine.

Prize being able to corner with precision.

Only want the controls that are necessary – but like to customise.

Prefer one type of car for one job: a sports car or a saloon.

Men, women and beautiful wheels Are you having a deep relationship with your car? No? Well, have you named it? And how do you feel about other people touching it?

GENDER DIFFERENCES

Researchers have found that men are less comfortable discussing feelings about people than women, but when it comes to describing feelings about cars, men are more comfortable than women. Psychologists believe this is because men are less conscious of their own bodies than women, which makes their sense of “self” more easily disengaged from their bodies, and projected on to objects. This identification with objects may explain why men often describe their car as an extension of themselves, and why they get angry when others touch their cars. It may also explain why women (who see cars as separate entities) are more likely to give cars names.

WHAT OUR HANDS REVEAL

About 60 per cent of drivers drive with one hand on the wheel. For most men, the other hand was resting on the gear stick. For women, it was more often held in the lap. According to the driving researcher Professor Andrew Blake, driving with one hand is an indication of mastery of the car, that you see it as an extension of yourself.

SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

The researchers found that generally men assume they will sit in the driving seat, unless things are arranged otherwise. Family members always tend to take the same seats. Families spoke of a sense of “strangeness” if a parent sat in the back.

“I think the fact that Mum and Dad always have their backs to the kids gives the children a psychological advantage: more potential for unseen misbehaviour,” said one dad.