Scientists have done the math. Expensive cars = jerks.
Ouch, right? Jealousy? Let's look at the findings.
Researchers at UNLV found that people who drive cars that make your turn your head, "felt a sense of superiority over other road users". They found this when they looked at who stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. They found expensive car drivers were across the board less likely to even slow down for a pedestrian with the right of way.
For every $1,000 more they paid for the car, they were 3% less likely to slow down. So here's my wonky math:
$80,000 car driver is 30% less likely to slow down (the law) than someone driving a $70,000 car. ($10,000 difference X 3%).
Holy crap!
The study said drivers of flashy cars have "Disengagement and a lower ability to interpret thoughts and feelings of others along with feelings of entitlement and narcissism may lead to a lack of empathy for pedestrians". In other words, others are lowly humans and not worth the jerk's time to slow down for.
And this isn't the first study. It's part of a long list of research over time and around the world. A Finnish team found men in expensive cars are "argumentative, stubborn, disagreeable and unempathetic."
They also found that people with charachterThey also found driver's traits that people find "ugly", were drawn to more expensive, flashier cars.
Erik Lönnqvist said in a press release,
"The answers were unambiguous: self-centred men who are argumentative, stubborn, disagreeable and unempathetic are much more likely to own a high-status car such as an Audi, BMW or Mercedes."