Drive a Loud Car in Louisiana? Here’s What it Says About You

You're at a traffic light in Crowley, Louisiana. All of the sudden your peaceful enjoyment of a song on your car's radio is interrupted by the sound of a large mechanical beast. You scan your mirrors for traces of Optimus Prime or some other transformable figure only to see the cause of sudden influx of sound pressure is a pickup truck or a muscle car painted to look like a NASCAR racer.

If this has happened to you then you're probably wondering the same thing that everyone else is wondering. That would be "Why do you need that to be so loud"? Well it turns out the reason for the loudness has less to do with mechanics and more to do with psychology.

What's Wrong With People That Drive Loud Vehicles?

That question comes almost exclusively from people who don't drive loud vehicles. Those individuals seriously see those who possess the need to play excessively loud music or rev an unmuffled engine as sick in the head or diminutive in the area of male reproduction. 

While we can't verify statistics about loud cars and less than impressive man parts we can point to a study that suggests those who possess a need to share the sounds of overly aggressive motors do have a different "mental outlook".

The study which was published by Current Issues in Personality Psychology suggested that an individual who "loves loud cars" would most likely be a younger male. That's not a shock. What is a shock is this. That same group of individuals score higher than normal for traits of sadism and psychopathy.

The author of study suggested that those who enjoy loud vehicles have very little regard for the feelings of others and seem to enjoy making others uncomfortable or forcing them to "bend to their wishes".  The term psychopath was mentioned in the study and the definition would seem to apply in this scenario.

There is another psychological term that comes in to play for those who enjoy the loud noise and the imposing of wills on others.  That term is narcissist. Basically, a narcissist is someone "who likes them some them". Yeah, the people who like to rev their motors are also the people who enjoy being the center of attention.

Not Everyone Agrees With These Findings

Oddly enough there was quite a bit of pushback on the study. It mainly came from people who consider themselves to be "car enthusiasts". I can appreciate that. I too enjoy the full throated sound of a well tuned racing engine. However, I don't care to hear that engine being revved in the carpool pick up line at school or why I am hoping to hear what the cashier at the drive-thru is saying.

Perhaps there is more than enough room for compromise between those who like the motors loud  and those who simply want to not hear a loud motor. But that would require someone taking their foot off the gas and that isn't the psychological profile of someone who likes their vehicle loud.