Does a man's testosterone level change with the car he drives?

July 9, 11:10 PMSan Jose Auto Industry ExaminerArt Michalik

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the San Jose Auto Industry Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Canadian researchers say driving a Porsche 911 Cabriolet can raise the testosterone level of men

Just published research in the scientific journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes "reports that men’s testosterone levels increased and decreased partially (directionally), after driving an expensive sports car and an old family sedan, respectively."

Canadian researchers recruited 39 male college students for the study in which each spent one hour driving a 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet and one hour driving a 1990 Toyota Camry wagon. Each participant drove for 30 minutes in downtown Montreal and 30 minutes on open highway. Testosterone levels were measured via saliva samples during the experiment.

"Testosterone levels were more responsive when driving the new Porsche than when driving the decrepit Toyota (wagon)," according to the study's authors. "Endowing the men with a vehicle that few individuals could afford prompted their testosterone levels to rise significantly, suggesting that conspicuous consumption may trigger an endocrinological response in men that mimics the one elicited during competition (for female companionship)."

The study's authors are Gad Saad, Associate Professor of Marketing and the holder of the Concordia University Research Chair in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences and Darwinian Consumption, and John Vongas a doctoral student, both of them from the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

For regular updates on the world of cars, please follow me on Twitter.