title: When drivers see red: car color frustrators and drivers' aggressiveness.
abstract: Research has found that exposition to red is associated with physiological activation and fighting spirit. A field experiment was conducted to explore whether the color of cars is related to an aggressive response. Drivers waiting at a traffic light were blocked by an experimental car. The color of the car varied (blue, red, green, black, and white). The amount of time that elapsed until the drivers responded by honking their horns or beaming their headlights was the dependent variable. It was found that the red car elicited early aggressive response.
authors.affiliation: Université de Bretagne-Sud, Vannes, France. nicolas.gueguen@univ-ubs.fr
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guéguen
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jacob
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lourel
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pascual
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D003116:Color; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: aggressiveness; car color; frustration