Driving Away From Death

RISK

Dangerous drivers seem daringly oblivious of death as they swerve
and careen down busy streets. But these speed demons may actually be the
ones who are most painfully aware of their mortality.

That's according to terror management theory, which suggests that
people thinking about death are likely to engage in behaviors which boost
their confidence, no matter how risky, explains Victor Florian, Ph.D., a
professor of psychology at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. One such
activity? Driving. It requires skill and control, which can increase
people's belief in their own competence.

Florian tested 110 male soldiers to see how important driving was
to their self-confidence, then told half the participants to write about
death and the other half simply to ruminate on food. Finally, the men
were asked to drive in a car simulator. Subjects who reported that
driving boosted their self-esteem and were asked to think about death
drove the fastest. Men who reflected on their mortality put the pedal to
the metal because they derived reassurance from the act; fast-driving
subjects who received positive feedback halfway during the trial were no
longer compelled to speed and promptly drove more slowly.

For people dwelling on the finality of death, speeding isn't an act
of self-destruction. It's a source of consolation, says a. Thus, media
campaigns that highlight death as the ultimate consequence of risky
activity may be misguided, he warns. In making people aware of their
mortality, these ads may be driving people towards the dangerous acts
they preach against.

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