A Concordia University John Molson School of Business study has found men's testosterone levels spike when driving ostentatious cars, effectively making them "sexual signaling" devices. The John Molson School of Business will be rechristened the "School of Obviousness" next week.
The study put 39 male volunteers into both a 1993 Toyota Camry and a Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet and let them drive the car around on a quiet road and on a pedestrian dense road where women would be looking at them. After each instance saliva was taken and testosterone levels measured. Surprise, surprise, the Camry didn't effect levels at all, however, the Porsche caused sustained and elevated testosterone levels, with or without onlookers.
The results indicate men consciously or unconsciously use flashy cars as a signaling method to prove their sexual worth, something like a mechanical peacock tail, which in all reality didn't need to be studied to be confirmed. It is interesting though, in that this study is essentially the flip side of the UK study which found women are more attracted to men in expensive cars. Seems science is finally catching up to what has been common knowledge for, what, sixty years? (Thanks for the tip Ronan)
[CBC]