How we project ourselves onto our cars—from naming them to describing their personalities.
By
John Ruddy, published on January 01, 2007 - last reviewed on February 23, 2007
About one in three people believe their car has a mind of its own, giving it a gender, name, and personality. Drivers don't simply map their own characters onto their cars, according to a paper in Personality and Individual Differences. They assign their vehicles distinct personalities. And some of these anthropomorphized character traits, including conscientiousness and emotional stability, actually predict elements of driver aggression better than the drivers' own self-described traits. Score one for autopilot.
Car and Driver
Driver: Anita
Driver Personality: "Aggressive, but forgiving. If someone honks at me I'll yell a little, but forget about it two seconds later."
Car: Daisy; also known as Falcor the Luck Dragon
Car Personality:"My car actually has a bit of a gender crisis. She leans more to the female side, but sometimes acts really male and disgusting. She's not the best multi-tasker. It's really all about positive reinforcement with Daisy."
Driver: Liz
Driver Personality: "Somewhat passive, though I do sometimes speed and get impatient."
Car: Sammy
Car Personality:"I think of Sammy as a boy, though it could be either. He's kind of like a stubborn kid that you have a soft spot for."
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