BERLIN: We listen to twice as much music in our cars than we do at home. International studies have shown that pop, rock, jazz and classical music can certainly have a positive effect on a driver's mood.
But doesn't music distract drivers from what’s happening on the road, and thus endanger traffic safety?
"That depends entirely on the current mood and the emotional connection to the music heard," says traffic psychologist Thomas Wagner.
Ralf Buchstaller, Technical Director of the Medical-Psychological Institute of inspection agency Tuv Nord, doesn't see a fundamantal risk when it comes to listening to music in the car.
"However, it always depends on the traffic situation, on the driver's psychological situation and whether or not you picked the music yourself," says Buchstaller.
Ultimately, music can exacerbate whatever emotion you're going through while driving. A few tunes will certainly calm you down even more when the overall situation is already relaxed, Buchstaller says.
But if you're in a stressful situation, lost in a foreign city for example, music can have a disturbing impact.
The key criteria in determining the impact music can have on driving are, above all, the rhythm, volume and tempo of the music. "Hard rock, for example, increases the mental load, which can be seen in a reduced heart rate variability," says Wagner, a psychologist from vehicle testing organization Dekra.
Buchstaller doesn't believe certain genres like death metal or gangster rap will bring an inherent danger with them.
"There is no difference when it comes the style of music," Buchstaller says. "Most drivers choose music that relaxes them anyway."
The heartbeat becomes steadier and thus more uniform as the organism adapts to the situation of tension. This is a biological indicator of stress processes that take place in the body, which makes it possible to "measure" whether the music requires mental resources. This, in turn, is not conducive to the task of driving, and can negatively influence, for example, lane changes, passing or right-of-way situations.
Even people who hear their favourite music in the car and react emotionally strongly to it can become a danger to traffic safety as a result. "Although the music heightens one’s mood – in a way comparable to a low alcohol or drug enjoyment – at the same time it reduces conscientiousness while driving," warns Wagner.
In addition, listening to your favourite music can increase distraction levels, as your thoughts might wander or recall emotional experiences associated with a particular song.
"As a result, the attention resources are heavily constrained and there is less mental capacity for the driving tasks on the road," explains the expert.
Wagner thus has the following piece of advice. While a person’s favourite album can dispel bad moods and aggressive tendencies, this is only in connection with an exercise known as the thought-stop:
"By imagining a stop sign sliding out in front of negative thoughts, you can prevent yourself from constantly thinking about this particular annoyance."
Then you should get out of the car. Next, "take a deep breath, walk around a bit, re-arrange your thoughts, insert your favourite CD and continue," says Wagner.
