A new study published by the Journal of International Psychology concludes that many high-end, luxury car owners are...assholes. The study, conducted at the University of Helsinki in Finland found that drivers of these cars are more likely to be rude to other drivers and break traffic laws.
Jan-Erik Lönnqvist, Professor of social psychology at the University of Helsinki, wanted to know whether driving behavior was a result of being behind the wheel of a high-performance vehicle (making the driver more aggressive), or if specific personalities are drawn to certain types of cars.
Lönnqvist says that he noticed that "the people most likely to run a red light, not give way to pedestrians and generally drive recklessly and too fast were often the ones driving fast German cars.” Taking this into account, 1,892 Finnish consumers were asked questions about their car, consumption habits, wealth, and it explored their personality traits.
In a statement released about the study, researches said “The answers were unambiguous: self-centered men who are argumentative, stubborn, disagreeable and unempathetic are much more likely to own a high-status car such as an Audi, BMW or Mercedes.”
To be fair, the study also found that conscientious people are also drawn to high-status cars. “The link is presumably explained by the importance they attach to high quality. All makes of car have a specific image, and by driving a reliable car they are sending out the message that they themselves are reliable,” Lönnqvist explains.