Sexy-looking drivers make men take more risks while driving, according to a new study.
Women with higher-pitched voices, which men find attractive and are associated with youth, good looks and fertility, may turn men into risk-takers, say the researchers, whose findings were published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences.
When these voices gave driving instructions, men were much more likely to run the yellow light. Listening to celebrity voices also had an effect.
Study reveals men take more risks when driving with “sexy” sounding navigation devices
“While innovations such as celebrity voice packs in car navigation systems are popular among users, their influence on safety, particularly whether they encourage risky behavior among male drivers due to the appeal of seductive female voices, remains questionable,” said researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai.
‘In our study, men exposed to high-pitched voices engaged in more risky behaviors, such as running yellow lights while driving.
‘This suggests that male risk-taking behaviour influenced by female voices may be dangerous while driving, raising questions about the need for voice packs featuring multiple celebrities in navigation products.
‘It is advisable to reduce the femininity of voices in voice interaction designs in cars to improve driving safety.’
Studies have shown that men were more likely to pass the amber light when they received instructions from a higher-pitched voice.
The study, which is the first to investigate links between women’s voices and men’s risk-taking, was based on two experiments. In the first, men in a driving simulator were given instructions using either deep or high-pitched female voices.
When approaching an intersection, the traffic light would change to amber, giving the driver the option to proceed or stop.
The results showed that when given instructions in a higher-pitched voice, men were about 40 percent more likely to pass the amber light as it displayed their qualities, including risk-taking, the researchers said.
In a second experiment, two groups of men crossed a plank bridge in a virtual reality environment.
Those who received instructions via a high-pitched female voice crossed faster than those who received instructions via a low-pitched voice, as did those who were encouraged to take more risks.